The Sacramento Kings have been nothing but a punchline for years. That is the nature of the longest active playoff drought in major North American sports, as the Kings have not made the postseason since 2006 and have not posted even a .500 season in more than a decade and a half. Expectations were raised, albeit mildly, in advance of the 2022-23 season but it would have taken quite the optimist to imagine what has happened.
Sacramento is enjoying an 82-game love affair around a very fun team and “lighting the beam” along the way. On Monday, the Kings had a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win over Minnesota at home but, in the end, Sacramento fell narrowly short, pushing away the inevitable clincher to a later date.
“Guys wanted to clinch a playoff spot at home and wanted to share it with our fans,” De’Aaron Fox told reporters after the game. “But at the end of the day, regardless of where we do it, I think people are going to be appreciative and people are going to love it.”
Yes, it would have been fantastic if Kings fans were able to celebrate that one at home but, given the team’s 45-30 record and five-game (!) lead on the Phoenix Suns for the No. 3 seed in the West, Sacramento actually has loftier goals. It might seem crazy to some but, in a wide-open Western Conference, it really does feel like a run is possible.
For one, all reports indicate the crowd in Sacramento has been electric all season, and that would also rise to a different level in a playoff atmosphere. The Kings have a rock-solid 23-16 mark with a +4.3 net rating in home games this season and, barring something insane, Sacramento will have home-court advantage in the first round. From there, Sacramento’s offense is utterly relentless. The Kings continue to lead the entire NBA in offensive rating, scoring 118.9 points per 100 possessions, and the combination of Fox’s late-game brilliance, Domantas Sabonis playing at an All-NBA level as the fulcrum, and dynamic balance leads Sacramento to a nightly baffling of opposing defenses.
There has been speculation for weeks, and maybe months, about other West contenders potentially angling toward Sacramento in search of an easier matchup in the first round. After all, there is a long history of young, first-time playoff teams being “happy to be there” and, to be blunt, the Kings are not very good defensively. However, it would be unwise to overlook this Kings team entirely, and when Sacramento does clinch a playoff berth after 17 years out of the mix, the celebration will be well-earned for a franchise and a fan base finally emerging from the wilderness.
Where do the Kings rank in this week’s DIME power rankings? Let’s take a look.
1. Milwaukee Bucks (54-21, Last week — 1st)
The sky isn’t exactly falling in Milwaukee. The Bucks are leading the East. The Bucks just had a 3-1 week, and the only loss came on the road against a top-tier opponent. The margin (23 points) against Denver wasn’t great, but it’s still one basketball game and the Bucks will have another high-profile opportunity on Thursday against Boston.
2. Denver Nuggets (51-24, Last week — 6th)
It was a very strong week for Denver after a series of middling performances. The Nuggets are on a four-game winning streak, headlined by a dominant home win over Milwaukee and a “hold serve” moment against Philadelphia without Joel Embiid. With Memphis winning at a high level lately, Denver had to avoid a real race for the No. 1 seed and they’ve done that lately.
3. Memphis Grizzlies (48-27, Last week — 5th)
The schedule was undeniably friendly, but Memphis now has the longest active winning streak in the league. Seven straight victories bring the Grizzlies within three games of the Nuggets but, perhaps more importantly, Memphis now appears to have a stranglehold on the No. 2 seed in the West.
4. Boston Celtics (52-24, Last week — 4th)
All eyes are on Thursday’s matchup against Milwaukee, but the Celtics took a weird loss to the Wizards on Tuesday. That put even more pressure on the game Thursday, with the Celtics needing to win to functionally stay alive in pursuit of the top seed.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (48-29, Last week — 3rd)
The team is still flying under the radar for some, but Cleveland is a very strong position. They did lose in Atlanta on Tuesday, but that loss came without Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro, and others, with the Cavaliers still boasting a decent chance to close the gap on Philadelphia for the No. 3 spot in the East.
6. Philadelphia 76ers (49-26, Last week — 2nd)
Philadelphia’s losing skid brings a dip to the No. 4 spot in the East in play. It isn’t great for a contender to lose three straight at any point, but the Sixers did lose to the Warriors, Suns, and Nuggets on the road. It could be worse, especially when remembering that Embiid and Harden have been banged up.
7. Phoenix Suns (40-35, Last week — 11th)
Kevin Durant has been out for a while but aims to return on Wednesday against Minnesota. Phoenix did a credible job staying afloat without him but, simply put, the Suns have sky-high expectations and Durant has to be 100 percent to meet them. All eyes are on the Suns once he’s back.
8. Sacramento Kings (45-30, Last week — 8th)
The Kings have five of their last seven on the road, though the first two of those games come against a (potentially) tanking Portland team. Sacramento’s eyes can drift to the playoffs now which, again, is a wild reality after almost two decades.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (39-37, Last week — 14th)
Here come the Wolves. Four straight wins put Minnesota right into the middle of the chase for the top six, including three road wins against quality teams and a narrow home win over the Hawks in a game without Anthony Edwards. It’s not as if this mini-run makes up for a disappointing start to 2022-23, but the team might be finding it at the right time.
10. New York Knicks (43-33, Last week — 7th)
New York has flattened a bit in recent days, posting a 4-6 record in the last ten games. The Knicks did take care of business in a blowout win over Houston on Monday, but New York is back to being closer to the No. 6 spot than they are to the top four in the East, even if it’s been a strong campaign.
11. Golden State Warriors (40-37, Last week — 12th)
Golden State finally won a couple of road games, and the Warriors avenged a close loss to Minnesota with a win over New Orleans. It feels as if the Warriors are dangerous, and everyone knows it, with an interesting test coming on Sunday in Denver.
12. L.A. Clippers (40-36, Last week — 13th)
The Clippers are making it work without Paul George, at least for now. LA has the inside track at a top-six seed at this moment, even if the margins are very slim. This is a big week, though, as the Clippers play the Grizzlies twice in a row on the road before visiting the rebounding Pelicans.
13. Toronto Raptors (38-38, Last week — 19th)
Toronto did what it needed to do this week, winning three straight games at home. Now, though, the Raptors have five straight on the road, and three of those games come against Boston and Philadelphia. That will be a big test.
14. Miami Heat (40-36, Last week — 9th)
The Heat took a stunningly bad loss on Saturday, losing by 29 points at home to the Nets. Then, Jimmy Butler missed Tuesday’s game and another loss happened. Any visions of a run at the top five basically died this week, but Miami does still have more trust compiled than the rest of the play-in competitors in the East.
15. Atlanta Hawks (38-38, Last week — 18th)
Atlanta’s trajectory over the last two months is relatively unbelievable. The Hawks haven’t won or lost more than two games in a row for more than two months, and Atlanta still has the longest streak in NBA history of consecutive games within just one game of .500. That continued with a win over a shorthanded Cleveland roster on Tuesday, and the Hawks are just right there in the middle.
16. Brooklyn Nets (40-35, Last week — 16th)
The good? Brooklyn closes with six of the last seven games at home and the only road game is in Detroit. The bad? The Nets have lost six of the last seven and are in firm danger of needing to emerge from the play-in rather than entering the playoffs in the top six.
17. Los Angeles Lakers (37-38, Last week — 15th)
LeBron is back and that is the big thing for the Lakers. Yes, Los Angeles lost in his return, but truthfully, the Lakers can only go as far as LeBron and Anthony Davis will take them, even with an undeniably improved supporting cast. That will all be tested this week, however, with the Lakers beginning a five-game road trip with a rematch against the Bulls.
18. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-39, Last week — 10th)
OKC takes a dive this week after three losses in four games. The real impetus for the drop is a home loss to Charlotte (yikes), but keeping perspective is key. It’s been a great year for the Thunder regardless.
19. Chicago Bulls (36-39, Last week — 20th)
With improved play in the second half, the Bulls are now heavily favored to be in the play-in. Chicago is 10-6 in the last 16 games and has a chance to build on that with three of the next four at home. Circle the game against Atlanta on Apr. 4 as a potential swing game in the standings chase.
20. New Orleans Pelicans (38-38, Last week — 22nd)
New Orleans is coming alive again, winning five of the last six games. The Pelicans had a hiccup on Tuesday with a loss to Golden State, but Brandon Ingram’s strong play in recent days has the Pelicans back in the mix after a lengthy swoon.
21. Dallas Mavericks (37-39, Last week — 21st)
In a fortunate turn of events for Dallas, these rankings don’t come out on Mondays. The Mavericks did beat the Pacers on Monday to stop a four-game losing streak, but Dallas was in the depths before that. Losing four in a row is bad no matter what, but the Mavericks lost twice to the Hornets and even let the Warriors beat them in Dallas.
22. Washington Wizards (34-42, Last week — 25th)
Washington stunned Boston by a lopsided margin on Tuesday. That revived faint hope for the Wizards when it comes to the play-in race, and Kristaps Porzingis shined with 32 points and 13 rebounds in that victory over the Celtics.
23. Orlando Magic (32-44, Last week — 24th)
Orlando is in a good spot. The Magic are in a strong place when it comes to ping-pong balls, but Orlando has also played well enough for weeks and months to be pretty encouraged about the future. It also helps to have Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner on board.
24. Utah Jazz (35-40, Last week — 17th)
It was a really nice season for Utah that is basically over at this stage. The Jazz are on a four-game losing streak to fall largely out of the play-in chase, and Utah is playing out the string. That isn’t the worst thing organizationally, but the team’s final record might be skewed a bit as a result.
25. Charlotte Hornets (26-51, Last week — 26th)
It wasn’t the best thing for ping-pong balls, but Charlotte just won three straight. Two of the wins, referenced above, came against a suddenly flailing Mavs team, but the Hornets came off those wins and beat the Thunder as well.
26. Indiana Pacers (33-43, Last week — 23rd)
Indiana isn’t tanking at the level of some of the teams below them here, but the recent results are pretty gross. The last three losses have been pretty ugly, and not even a 25-point quarter (!) from Jordan Nwora in Atlanta could save the Pacers over the weekend.
27. Portland Trail Blazers (32-43, Last week — 27th)
The season is effectively over in Portland. The Blazers are 1-9 in the last ten games and, if you glance at a box score of a recent Portland game, the available roster will jump off the page in a bad way. It does make sense for the Blazers to go ahead and shut it down, but yikes.
28. Houston Rockets (18-58, Last week — 28th)
It’s only been a couple of weeks since Houston won three games in a row. Reality smashed the Rockets this week, though, in that Houston gave up 151 points to Memphis and lost all three of its games by lopsided margins. Only the team at No. 30 in this space has a losing streak as long as the Rockets.
29. San Antonio Spurs (19-56, Last week — 29th)
San Antonio’s losing streak is only at four games, which is better than Houston or Detroit. However, the Spurs were utterly destroyed in the last eight days, posting an impossibly ugly -31.4 net rating with horrific offensive and defensive numbers.
30. Detroit Pistons (16-59, Last week — 30th)
Jaden Ivey is getting the opportunity to cook without much pressure. That’s a positive thing for the future in Detroit. That was an attempt at positivity for a team that has one (yes, one) victory in the last six-plus weeks.