Sixers' Doc Rivers Credits Sacramento Kings for Recent Hot Streak

The Philadelphia 76ers have been on a roll to start the season. Through the first 24 games, the Sixers have won 17 matchups and are currently one game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference.

Going 4-1 over their last five games, the Sixers are entering a lengthy road trip out on the West Coast. Before the season started, it seemed the beginning of the trip against the Sacramento Kings could be a walk in the park, but that's not the case.

Over the last ten games, the Kings went 7-3 after a bit of a slow start to the year. And they'll be entering Tuesday night's game against the Sixers hot as they've also won four of their last five games with victories over the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Although the Sixers enter the matchup favored over Sacramento, Philly's head coach Doc Rivers knows for sure their opponent isn't going to let them off easy. Not only does Rivers preach to never play down to an NBA opponent no matter who it is, but he also acknowledged how good the Kings have looked as of late.

"It feels like we've caught a lot of those teams that are hot and playing well," Rivers explained on Monday. "We went into Charlotte [last week], and I think they won three in a row. Sacramento is on a roll right now. Their last two victories are against Denver and the Clippers. That tells you that they're playing well. They are back to playing with the pace that they played with under Dave Joerger. Luke (Walton) and Alvin (Gentry) have done a terrific job putting them in a position where they can score, so it's going to be a tough game."

With a four-game road trip ahead, the Sixers would like to get off to a hot start with a win over the Kings on Tuesday night. Last season, Philly faced Sacramento twice and came out on top with healthy victories. Again, this isn't last year's Kings, though. Like every other matchup -- especially on the road -- the Sixers are heading into a tough battle. And despite being a first-seeded team facing a seventh-seeded team, a win over Sacramento could really help set the tone for the rest of Philly's trip.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_