On Friday, the Sacramento Kings pulled off arguably their most impressive victory of the season, beating the defending champion Boston Celtics by a score of 114-97. To top it off, the Celtics had all of their top six players (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford) healthy and in the lineup.
The win marked the Kings' sixth straight victory, putting them at 19-19 and ninth in the Western Conference. So, for the first time in seemingly forever, the Kings are back in the play-in race (if the season were to end today). And in the process, the Kings join a club that only one other team is a part of this season.
The Six win/Six loss Club
It would be one thing if the Kings were on this streak and their record was 33-4 like the Cleveland Cavaliers. If that were the case, we'd be upset if they weren't winning six games in a row.
What makes what the Kings are doing right now unique is that before winning six straight, the Kings were on the exact opposite end of the spectrum: losing six straight games (and 13 of their last 18).
So, in the same season, the Kings have a six-game winning streak and a six-game losing streak to their name. You don't see that every day. In fact, the only other team in the league to accomplish that feat this season is the Milwaukee Bucks (per Stathead).
The Bucks lost six straight games early in the season, during their games played between October 25 and November 2. Then, from November 18 to December 3, they mustered off seven straight victories.
You prefer to never have a six game losing streak at any point during your season. Still, if you are going to have one, it is nice to follow it up with a winning streak of equal length.
The best part is that the Kings aren't done yet. They could still add more wins to their already impressive total. They have the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, January 12, before playing, as fate would have it, the Bucks on Tuesday, January 14.
Will the Kings still have the winning streak when those two teams face off? And if they do, will they be able to extend their run further than the Bucks did?