Kings Fall in Standings After Dropping Back-To-Back Series

After losing five of their last six, the Kings have put themselves in a vulnerable position.

A week ago, the Sacramento Kings were in a race to dodge the play-in tournament and secure their spot in the playoffs. Now, after losing three straight and five of their last six, the Kings are tied with the tenth-place Golden State Warriors.

With just one game remaining in the regular season, the Kings can only hope to regain momentum on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, as their inevitable play-in tournament matchup could be their last game. This disappointing conclusion of Sacramento's 2023-24 regular season has been partly due to the injuries of Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk, as the Kings have been down one starter and their star sixth man.

While the Kings did not play the New Orleans Pelicans as competitively as they would wish on Thursday, they had every chance to take down the Phoenix Suns on Friday. Sacramento's starters combined for 100 of their 107 points, as their lack of bench scoring with Monk sidelined has shown the past few matchups.

The loss to Phoenix came down to the final possession, despite the Kings leading for nearly the entire game. Sacramento's inability to close out games they should have won has been a glowing weakness this season, and missing one of their premier closers in Monk has hurt them even more.

The Kings could very well play just two more games this season before another premature exit, but a dominant play-in tournament could help build momentum for any potential first-round playoffs matchup. If the season ended today, the Kings would be hosting the Warriors in the play-in, with the winner taking on the loser of the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers to secure the final playoff spot.

Despite a disappointing last couple of weeks, the season is not over, and the Kings can prove themselves in the play-in tournament.

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