Western Conference Standings: Kings hold steady in chase for 6th
Mar 8, 2024, 8:55 AM | Updated: 8:58 am
(Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)
With 20 games to go in the 2023-24 regular season, wins are welcomed in any fashion.
Blowouts, buzzer-beaters, even ugly wins like the Sacramento Kings’ 131-129 win over the Western Conference-worst San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night—all triumphs look the same in the win column.
The current state of the West is no picnic, with the five-through-seven seeds separated by just one game as the season enters its final month of action.
For the Kings (36-26), a six-game homestand has arrived at what many hope will be the right time. Sacramento is looking to use this home-heavy stretch to solidify itself in the mix for a top-six spot and avoid the uncertainties of a Play-In scenario, but coasting to a playoff appearance like last year appears to be out of the realm of possibility.
That being said, the Kings are in a solid place in the standings, and multiple matchups against teams around them are set to take place in the coming weeks.
Here’s how things stand in the wild, wild Western Conference with 20 games remaining:
Western Conference Standings
As for teams near Sacramento in the standings, Phoenix and Golden State will have to navigate the near future without their All-Star guards.
Suns guard Devin Booker (ankle sprain) is expected to miss at least the next week of action as Phoenix prepares to face Eastern Conference powerhouses Boston (twice) and Cleveland over the next six days.
The tenth-seed Golden State Warriors, who currently sit three games behind the Kings in the standings, are holding their breath as they await Stephen Curry’s MRI results after the two-time MVP guard exited the end of Thursday’s loss to Chicago with an ankle injury.
Golden State holds the second-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NBA but may have to weather a tough upcoming stretch that features matchups against Dallas, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Knicks without its top scorer.
As for the rest of the Western Conference standings, here’s how the remaining strength of schedule looks for teams in the playoff mix:
The Kings will be tested next week with home matchups against Milwaukee, the Lakers, and the Knicks before entering a soft three-game stretch of their schedule against sub-.500 teams (Memphis, Toronto, and Washington).
Following their game in Washington on March 21st, Sacramento will play 10 of its final 13 games against teams that hold .500 records or better.
It might be a challenging path to the postseason, but the Kings have proven they can hang with the best of the best (8-5 vs. the top-four seeds in the West). Now, it will be interesting to see if Sacramento can handle teams around them in the standings.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento will continue its six-game homestand on Sunday afternoon with a matinee showing against the Houston Rockets.
If the Kings want to keep pace in the competitive Western Conference, they’ll have to redeem themselves against a Houston team that has had their number in 2023-24.
The Rockets dominated the Kings in two early-season matchups at Toyota Center, winning by an average of 21.5 points per contest while holding Sacramento to just 93.0 points (on 41/30/64 shooting splits) during two wins.
Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Rockets coverage, beginning at 1:30 PM PST on Game Night before a 3:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming Schedule
- Sunday, March 10th – Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets – 3:00 PM PST
- Tuesday, March 12th – Sacramento Kings vs. Milwaukee Bucks – 7:00 PM PST
- Wednesday, March 13th – Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 7:00 PM PST
- Saturday, March 16th – Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks – 7:00 PM PST
- Monday, March 18th – Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 PM PST
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