After losing four straight games to start the regular season, the Sacramento Kings are desperate for a win. The best chance to get that in the first ten games is tonight, when the Kings head to New Orleans to take on the equally terrible Pelicans. If Sacramento doesn't win, the road gets ugly.
With most teams at least four games in, there are only three teams left in the NBA who haven't picked up a win yet in the regular season. In the Western Conference, those teams are the aforementioned Kings and Pelicans. In the East, it's down to the Nets still looking for that first coveted victory.
Only the Kings have the dubious honor of finishing the preseason without a single win. For Sacramento, it was five straight losses. Add that to the four regular season games the Kings have lost so far, and they have now dropped nine straight games. That's not a confidence builder.
Projections for the Kings this season have been terrible, the worst of them being NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor's prediction of a measly 16 wins. The way Sacramento is playing right now, winning 16 games might be shooting too high. Things are not looking good in the early going.
Getting win one in the first ten games is all about the Pelicans
If the Kings want to pick up a win in those tone-setting first ten outings. New Orleans is their best shot. After this, Sacramento will face the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Lakers, Spurs, and Heat. These are all teams the Kings have already lost to and/or are highly unlikely to beat.
The only other opportunity in the first ten games would be Miami, who are performing extraordinarily badly. It's almost like sacrificing their depth to get Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn't a good plan. Frankly, they weren't a great team before Giannis. Adding Klay Thompson was a terrible fix.
That being said, Giannis on his own is probably enough to take the Kings down. Miami might not have much of a team, but they're good enough to beat the Kings when led by a former NBA Champion, MVP, All-Star, All-NBA, and Defensive Player of the Year in Antetokounmpo.
So, tonight is the night. If the Kings don't want to end up zero and ten to start 2026-2027, they absolutely have to beat the Pelicans. The problem is that New Orleans likely sees Sacramento the same way. Someone is walking away from this game with their first win of the season.
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