3 Postseason matchups the Sacramento Kings might be able to survive
By Elaine Blum
This Kings’ season has been defined by ups and downs. Following up on last season’s success, Sacramento beat some of the best teams in the West, like the Thunder, the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, and the Clippers. At the same time, they also lost to some of the worst teams in the league, such as the Hornets and the Pistons.
As a result of those losses, the Kings are still battling for a playoff spot to try and escape the play-in tournament. Most Kings players don’t have much postseason experience yet, the team hasn’t proven anything yet in the playoffs, and the roster has some serious holes.
They won’t be the favorites in many postseason matchups, but there are some they could win. So, let’s look at three postseason matchups the Kings might survive.
3. The Minnesota Timberwolves
If the regular season ended today, the Kings and Timberwolves would meet in the first round of the playoffs. Neither team has proven anything outside the regular season yet, but Minnesota has put together the better season at this point.
Especially defensively, they are miles ahead of the Kings with the best defensive rating in the league. On paper, the Timberwolves don’t look like a good matchup for the Kings. Jaden McDaniels is one of the few defenders who can stick with De’Aaron Fox, they have great rim protection and are overall a big team, and Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are both the kind of talented, explosive scorers the Kings often struggle to defend.
Nevertheless, the Kings have won two of the three matchups against Minnesota this season, including one without Fox. The Timberwolves’ weak spot is offense and late-game execution. Especially the former is exemplified by Towns’ injury. He might be back by the time the playoffs roll around but either way, the Kings have a chance to survive this matchup.
It won’t be easy because Minnesota’s defense might be a real game-changer in the playoffs when things slow down and teams have to execute in the halfcourt. The Kings would have to play their best basketball to escape with the win, but it would still be better than facing the battle-tested Nuggets or Clippers, for example.