Western Conference Standings Update: Kings fall back to play-in after loss to Dallas

The Sacramento Kings Tuesday night loss to the Dallas Mavericks was costly in the Western Conference standings race.

Mar 27, 2024, 2:08 PM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks is guarded by Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings in the second half at Golden 1 Center on March 26, 2024 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Tuesday night’s matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks substantially impacted the Western Conference standings. Since the play-in was implemented, the value of placing in the top six has skyrocketed.

Every team aims to avoid single-elimination basketball at all costs, and the packed Western Conference standings are still dramatically shaking up on a game-to-game basis. Coming into Tuesday, the Kings were tied with Dallas for the highly coveted sixth seed and had a 2-0 record over the Mavericks on the season.

Disappointingly, the Kings lost 132-96 in that game, moving Dallas to sixth and Sacramento to seventh with a chance for redemption on Friday.

Dallas winning brings additional weight to the upcoming matchup, with the season series on the line. Claiming a tie-breaker is vital with the competitive Western Conference standings. With ten games remaining, there is minimal margin for error for the Sacramento Kings moving forward. Avoiding the play-in at all costs should be priority number one.

Head-to-Head Matchups

Sacramento will face several teams around them in the coming weeks. The state of the Western Conference standings could look a lot different following these upcoming matchups:

Kings vs. Mavericks – Friday, March 29th (Kings lead tie-breaker vs. DAL, 2-1)
Kings vs. Pelicans – Thursday, April 11th (Pelicans own tie-breaker vs. SAC, 4-0)
Kings vs. Suns – Friday, April 12th (Winner secures tie-breaker, 2-2)

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento and Dallas will take two days off before returning to the table on Friday for another important playoff-implications matchup at Golden 1 Center.

Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Mavericks coverage, beginning at 5:30 PM PST on Game Night before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown Sacramento.

Upcoming Schedule

Friday, March 29th – Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks – 7:00 PM PST
Sunday, March 31st – Sacramento Kings vs. Utah Jazz – 6:00 PM PST
Tuesday, April 2nd – Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 PM PST
Thursday, April 4th – Sacramento Kings @ New York Knicks – 4:30 PM PST
Friday, April 5th – Sacramento Kings @ Boston Celtics – 4:30 PM PST

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