2024 Sacramento Kings playoffs picture following win vs Utah Jazz (March 31): Updated standings, schedule and more
The Sacramento Kings brought out the broom on Sunday with a 127-106 season-sweeping of the Utah Jazz. After a closely fought first half, the Kings pulled away in the third frame with a 39-25 beatdown. Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox combined to drop 73 points.
The victory nudged Sacramento's record to 43-31 after back-to-back heartbreakers to the Dallas Mavericks. Mike Brown’s team will cap off a five-game homestand with another likely seesaw battle with the LA Clippers on Tuesday.
The Sacramento Kings face a murderer’s row of opponents to finish the season
The matchup versus Kawhi Leonard’s LA Clippers will be just the opening of a brutal stretch of games against a murderer's row of opponents.
Lying ahead of the Kings are the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and OKC Thunder on the road. They then finish the regular season at home, playing hosts to the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns.
Sacramento will also have to tangle with teams who are raring to play spoilers. Despite being favorites against the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers, De’Aaron Fox and his teammates can’t overlook them.
The Kings have several season-changing matchups on their hands before April is halfway over.
The Sacramento Kings could reach as high as fourth or slide out of the play-in tournament
The 43-31 Sacramento Kings are just two games adrift of the New Orleans Pelicans (45-29) for the sixth spot and final outright playoff ticket.
More importantly, they still have a crack at the fourth-placed LA Clippers (47-27) for the chance to host another first-round series. To overtake the Clippers, the Kings will have to hope for Leonard’s team to wilt and for the fifth-ranked Dallas Mavericks (45-29) to stumble.
If Sacramento suffers a meltdown, they could easily slide to where the LA Lakers (42-33) and the Golden State Warriors (40-34) are languishing right now. They could even improbably crash out of the play-in tournament, as the 11th-ranked Houston Rockets (38-36) are mathematically capable of chasing them down.
Mike Brown said after the win against the Jazz that the Sacramento Kings are not worried about how other teams are performing. He said that they will only care about how they will play in their remaining games.
The Kings don’t want the risks of the complicated play-in tournament but are willing to battle through it if necessary. If it’s up to them, they will prefer to open the playoffs in front of their raucous and rowdy home fans.