DeMar DeRozan's Five-Word Message Before Kings-Mavericks Play-In Game

Win or go home, the Sacramento Kings have two options when it comes to Wednesday’s Play-In Tournament draw against the Dallas Mavericks. With the way this season has gone, there should be some built-in urgency for Sacramento once they walk into Golden One Center.

The Kings failed to break the .500 mark, have a ton of questions left about their future, and they may not have a first-round draft pick to fall back on come June.

Luckily, one of Sacramento’s veterans who has played in 63 career playoff games sounds like he’s taking the right approach to the game. DeMar DeRozan has suited up in the playoffs for the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls during his career, and if it weren’t for LeBron James, he may have had a Finals appearance.

DeRozan was interviewed by Fox40’s Sean Cunningham about tomorrow’s matchup against Dallas and had this to say:

“This is a Game Seven,” DeRozan said. “This is literally win or go home.”

DeMar DeRozan looks ahead to tomorrow's Play-In Tournament opener against the Mavericks, Anthony Davis role in Dallas, anticipating the best is still to come from his Sacramento Kings & a win or go home situation.

"This is a Game 7." pic.twitter.com/fdqZbSKDZ5
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) April 15, 2025

DeRozan has played in four game sevens in the playoffs, so a Play-In matchup could easily not live up to the hype of a true game seven, but it’s great to hear one of Sacramento’s best players speak about the urgency Sacramento should play with.

Sacramento should have a good chance to win this game with the talent level on this roster, but according to DeRozan, the Kings can still reach new heights as a team.

“I think it’s still to come, but we definitely showed moments, spurts, games of how special we can be,” DeRozan said.

It’s hard not to agree with DeMar here. With big wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons to close out the season, it’s obvious the Kings have another gear they can hit. The issue hasn’t been the ceiling of the team, it’s been consistency.

Before beating the Hornets, Cavaliers, and Pistons, Sacramento had some terrible losses to the Bulls, Magic, and Wizards, who had the second-worst record in the NBA this season. This kind of inconsistency has the Kings in a position to miss out on the playoffs for a second straight season, but I imagine Sacramento’s stars might have some extra fire once the game tips off.

For DeMar DeRozan, the playoffs haven’t been the best venue for his game. DeMar is a career 47% shooter, but in the playoffs, that drops to just 42%. Some of this can be chalked up to the challenges of tougher defense and better competition, but DeRozan would never use that excuse for his slip in efficiency.

DeMar DeRozan becomes the 27th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career PTS!

Congrats, DeMar!! pic.twitter.com/IjzPv59JK8
— NBA (@NBA) March 21, 2025

Wednesday night’s game marks the first step for DeRozan to redeem some of his less-than-ideal playoff performances, where he’s been an overall -371 during his career. He’s been Sacramento’s rock when it comes to getting buckets this season, but he’ll need to be at his best against a big Dallas team that hangs its hat on defense.

With DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento has the star power to shut the door on Dallas fast, but the entire team will have to be locked in from the jump to make sure they don’t fall behind early. Expect to see LaVine and DeRozan attacking early and often as coach Doug Christie tried to get his stars going right away and compensate for missing Malik Monk to injury.

Watch DeRozan and Sacramento against the Mavs at 7:00 PM on ESPN Wednesday night to see who gets to keep their hopes alive and who starts their off-season grind early.

Recommended Articles