Breaking down NBA’s wild West playoff race as Kings enter final week with four games to go
The race for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference is too close to call as the Kings enter the final week of the regular season with four games remaining.
Sacramento has clinched no less than a spot in the play-in tournament, but the Kings still have a chance to secure the sixth seed and an automatic playoff berth if they finish strong while other teams falter.
The Kings (45-33) will conclude a four-game road trip against one of the top teams in the West when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (53-25) on Tuesday at Paycom Center. The Kings will then return to Sacramento to play their last three games at Golden 1 Center against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, Phoenix Suns on Friday and Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
The Dallas Mavericks are sitting pretty at No. 5 in the West after winning their last three games. The Kings are eighth in the West, one game behind the Suns and Pelicans for the No. 6 seed. The Los Angeles Lakers are a half-game back in ninth followed by the Golden State Warriors, who are two games behind the Kings in 10th. Each of these teams has clinched at least a play-in spot, but that’s not the prize anyone is after.
How the playoffs work
The top six teams in each conference will earn automatic bids to the playoffs. The next four teams will have to claw their way in through the play-in tournament. The teams that finish seventh and eighth will be facing a double-elimination situation with two chances to win one game. The teams that finish ninth and 10th will have to win two games while facing sudden death in a single-elimination scenario.
This is not where the Kings wanted to be after securing the No. 3 seed last season while ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons. Last season, they remained remarkably healthy. This season, they have been hampered by injuries. Starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter recently underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum. Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malik Monk is out with a right MCL sprain.
A 4-0 finish with wins over the Suns and Pelicans — coupled with at least one more loss by New Orleans — would propel the Kings to the No. 6 seed. In the event of a tie between the Kings and Pelicans, the Pelicans will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage because they have already won the season series. The winner of Friday’s Kings-Suns game will hold the tiebreaker should they finish with identical records. The Kings hold the tiebreaker over the Lakers after sweeping the season series.
Three-way tie
Here are the tiebreaker procedures in the event that three or more teams are tied:
(1) Division leader wins tie from team not leading a division (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)
(2) Better winning percentage in all games among the tied teams
(3) Division won-lost percentage (only if all teams are in same division)
(4) Conference won-lost percentage
(5) Better winning percentage against teams eligible for the playoffs in own conference (including teams that finished the regular season tied for a playoff position)
(6) Better net result of total points scored less total points allowed against all opponents (“point differential”)
Here’s a look at the remaining schedules for the Mavericks, Suns, Pelicans, Kings, Lakers and Warriors.
Dallas Mavericks
Tuesday at Charlotte Hornets
Wednesday at Miami Heat
Friday vs. Detroit Pistons
Sunday vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Phoenix Suns
Tuesday vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Wednesday at Los Angeles Clippers
Friday at Sacramento Kings
Sunday at Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Tuesday at Portland Trail Blazers
Thursday at Sacramento Kings
Friday at Golden State Warriors
Sunday vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Sacramento Kings
Tuesday at Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Friday vs. Phoenix Suns
Sunday vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Los Angeles Lakers
Tuesday vs. Golden State Warriors
Friday at Memphis Grizzlies
Sunday at New Orleans Pelicans
Golden State Warriors
Tuesday at Los Angeles Lakers
Thursday at Portland Trail Blazers
Friday vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Sunday vs. Utah Jazz
