SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (30-27) will come out of the NBA All-Star break facing Western Conference opponents in a stretch of games that could make or break their playoff chances.
Sacramento hasn't made it to the playoffs since 2006, and this young team is making a push to end the NBA's longest active postseason drought. The Kings have been in playoff contention for much of the 2018-2019 season but sit just outside the Western Conference playoff standings with 25 regular season games left.
Here are three things to watch with the Sacramento Kings this week --
Potential Playoff Preview: On Thursday, Feb. 21, the Kings will travel to Oakland to face the top-seeded Golden State Warriors (41-16) for the fourth and final time in the regular season. If the Kings can secure the eighth seed while the Warriors continue to run the table in the West, we'll get a best-of-seven series in the first round of the NBA Playoffs featuring teams separated by just 87 miles.
In their last meeting in January, the Kings and the Warriors set an NBA record for three-point shots made in a game with the teams combining for 41. The Kings' 20 three-point shots made in the game set a franchise record.
Tough Road Ahead: After Thursday night in Oakland, the Kings will continue their road trip on Saturday, Feb. 23, in Oklahoma City against the Thunder (37-20) then they'll will head to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves (27-30) on Monday, Feb. 25.
Of the 25 contests left on Sacramento's regular season schedule, 14 of them will be against playoff teams and eight of those matchups are against Western Conference contenders. The Warriors are the top-seed in the Western Conference while the OKC Thunder are third in the playoff standings. The Kings will be looking for a big bounce back win in Oakland this week after suffering a last-second loss against the second-seeded Nuggets in Denver before the All-Star break.
What About The New Guys?: The Kings have only played three games since the NBA trade deadline which brought several new faces to Sacramento. Former NBA champion Harrison Barnes, veteran guard Alec Burks and second-year forward Caleb Swanigan were all acquired in three separate trades while NBA journeyman Corey Brewer was signed to two 10-day contracts with the Kings. Brewer has yet to play a minute for the Kings while Barnes and Burks have played in every game since landing in Sacramento. Swanigan has yet to appear for the Kings after and has appeared in only 18 games averaging eight points per game for the Portland Trail Blazers before being traded.
The Kings won't be back in Sacramento until Wednesday, Feb. 27, when "The Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (43-14) visit Golden 1 Center. Tip-off for Thursday's Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors is set for 7:30 p.m., and you can watch the game live on NBC Sports California.
Want more Kings coverage? Check out the Sacramento Kings playlist on the ABC10 YouTube channel. Join in the Kings conversation with ABC10's Lina Washington and Sean Cunningham every Wednesday at 3 p.m. on Facebook Live and YouTube Live.
