Kings, Mavs locked into 9th vs. 10th seed Play-In showdown

It’s official: The Sacramento Kings will face the Dallas Mavericks in the ninth vs. tenth-seed matchup in the NBA Play In Tournament.

Following the Phoenix Suns’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, Dallas clinched the tenth and final Western Conference postseason spot with two games to go.

Sacramento (39-41) holds a slim one-game lead over Dallas (38-42) heading into the final weekend of the regular season, needing just one win or a Mavericks loss to clinch home-court advantage in next week’s win-or-go-home matchup.

The Kings dominated the regular season series against Dallas this season, winning all three head-to-head meetings by an average of 12.3 points.

It would be in Sacramento’s best interest to clinch the ninth seed and host the first game of the Play In Tournament, especially considering the Mavericks’ struggles on the road this season (17-24, the worst away record of any West postseason team).

Here are the remaining matchups for the Kings and Mavericks, with one Sacramento win OR Dallas loss ensuring that Wednesday’s Play-In game takes place at Golden 1 Center:

Sacramento: LAC, PHX

Dallas: TOR, @ MEM

Seeing that the third-through-eighth seeds are separated by 1.5 games or less in the Western Conference standings, Sacramento and Dallas will likely face teams like the Clippers and Grizzlies at full force as they hope to avoid the Play In Tournament.

As long as the Kings don’t lose the next two games, paired with two Mavericks wins, they will be in a strong spot to clinch the ninth seed and host the single-elimination showdown.

Will Malik Monk play in the Play In Tournament?

Leading into last year’s Play In Tournament, the Sacramento Kings were bitten by the injury bug during the final weeks of the regular season.

Lightning has struck twice for the Beam Team.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Kings guard Malik Monk will be re-evaluated in two weeks due to a left calf strain. Monk, who missed last year’s Play-In Tournament due to an MCL sprain, will be out of action for next Wednesday’s single-elimination ninth vs. tenth-seed game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Malik Monk is enjoying a career year scoring the basketball, averaging 17.2 points per game to go along with 5.6 assists per game over 65 appearances.

Interim Kings head coach Doug Christie recently moved Monk, who has spent most of this season as a starting guard, back to the bench to balance out the team’s defensive approach, with two-way guard Keon Ellis thriving in a starting role.

With Monk sidelined for at least two weeks, Sacramento will rely on Zach LaVine, who has brushed off a rough March by scoring 37+ points in back-to-back games, and DeMar DeRozan, who is averaging 29.4 points per game over his past five appearances.

Rookie guard Devin Carter will see a boost in playing time, while recently signed guard-forward Terence Davis has rejoined the Kings to provide Christie with depth as they push toward the postseason.

Read more below:

Malik Monk (calf) out at least two weeks, to miss Play-In

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

The Sacramento Kings will face the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night as both teams inch closer to concluding the regular season portion of their schedules.

Los Angeles is currently in a fight to avoid the Play-In Tournament, as second-through-eighth seeds are presently separated by two games or less in the Western Conference standings.

Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before action tips off at 7:00 PM PT from downtown Sacramento.

Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings

• Friday, April 11th vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 PM PT
• Sunday, April 13th vs. Phoenix Suns – 12:30 PM PT (Final game of regular season)
• Wednesday, April 16th – vs. Dallas Mavericks (Western Conference Play-In Tournament – 9th vs. 10th seed game)

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