19 MINS AGO - Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images It’s a long shot, but Sacramento is still mathematically alive for a playoff spot. The Sacramento Kings looked like world-beaters when they got their first win in the NBA restart. Bogdan Bogdanovic came alive, scoring 35 points to lead the Kings to a 140-125 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Sacramento is 1-3 in the bubble, and with only four games left, it will take an almost-miracle to get the Kings back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Kings will try to make it two wins in a row when they take on the Brooklyn Nets Game information: Where: Orlando, Florida When: Thursday, 2:00 p.m. PT TV: NBC Sports California, (Interim play-by-play man Gary Gerould, and color commentator Doug Christie will call the games on NBCSC), NBATV. Streaming: fuboTV, NBA League Pass Injuries/Absences: Kings: Marvin Bagley III (out) Nets: Jarrett Allen (questionable), Joe Harris (questionable) It has been a frustrating first week in the Collapse

23 HRS AGO - Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images It’s time to start scouting the lottery picks. Just like the last 14 years, the Sacramento Kings are playing out the string as they approach the end of their season. The Kings had a golden opportunity to be in position to make some noise in the chase for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but instead choked away a 114-110 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Sacramento still has a mathematical chance being two games out of the ninth seed, but it will need to leap frog four teams just to qualify for the play-in tournament, and one of those squads is the New Orleans Pelicans. This will be the first of two meetings between the clubs in the bubble, with the Pelicans sitting just a game behind the Portland Trail Blazers. New Orleans is 1-2 in Orlando, and is looking to build off its 109-99 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Kings have five games left to at least show some fight. The players complained about being disrespected going Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images If the Kings want to give themselves any sort of chance to make the playoffs, they have to beat the Mavericks. We are about to find out what the Sacramento Kings are made of. After two ugly performance in the NBA’s restart, the Kings are facing a must-win situation against the Dallas Mavericks. The good news for the Kings is that they still have a chance to make some noise. They only trail the Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs by one game for the No. 9 seed. Dallas is also 0-2 in the bubble, but looks like firmly entrenched in the seventh spot, but the Mavericks will want to turn things around as the playoffs draw closer. Game Information Where: Orlando, Florida. When: 11:30 a.m. PT How to watch/listen: NBC Sports California, KHTK SPORTS 1140 AM Streaming: fuboTV, NBA League Pass Injuries/Absences: Kings: Marvin Bagley III (out), Alex Len (questionable) Mavericks: Seth Curry (doubtful), Courtney Lee (out) For Sacramento to Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images Luke Walton has one less coach on his bench. Last month, it was announced that Sacramento Kings assistant coach Igor Kokoskov accepted a job offer from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, one of the premier basketball clubs in the EuroLeague. Despite his impending departure from the team, Kokoskov was insistent on joining the Kings for their eight-game playoff push in Orlando and traveled with the team a week after he accepted the job. Now, with the Kings seemingly out of the playoff race, Kokoskov has left the Orlando bubble to focus on his next coaching venture, the team announced on Saturday. It’s unclear if it was always Kokoskov’s plan to leave on August 1, but if it wasn’t, the Kings’ discouraging loss to the San Antonio Spurs likely played a role in his decision to get a head start with Fenerbahce. Kokoskov joined the Kings last summer as part of Luke Walton’s coaching staff. In a statement to the team on Saturday, Walton thanked Kokoskov for Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images Here are a few numbers to keep an eye on in the race for the eighth seed. Welcome to the Sactown Royalty 2020 Playoff Tracker! Inspired by a similar effort at this site last season, this tracker will help Kings fans keep up to date on the team’s playoff positioning and how the opposition is doing. Check back daily for regular updates on standings, tiebreakers, remaining schedules, and games to watch that night. As a reminder, in the event Sacramento doesn’t earn the eighth seed outright, the Kings have to finish ninth and within four games of whichever team is in eighth to trigger a play-in round. They would have to win two consecutive games against the no. 8 seed in the play-in to advance to the playoffs. S.O.S. is strength of schedule, courtesy of Tankathon. The lower the number, the easier the schedule. Root for the team in bold. The San Antonio/Memphis game is somewhat of a toss-up, but at this point, getting closer to the 8th Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images DeMar DeRozan and the Spurs spoiled De’Aaron Fox’s career night. The Kings dug themselves a big hole on Friday, not just against the Spurs, but for their playoff hopes during the NBA restart. San Antonio led early and then clawed back late to beat Sacramento 129-120 in the first seeding game. Early deficits have been a theme for the Kings in Orlando, and their first seeding game did not prove to be an exception. De’Aaron Fox came out ready to go, but the Kings still fell behind by 16 in the first quarter, at one point ceding a 19-0 run to the Spurs. Sacramento just couldn’t get any stops, and at one point allowed San Antonio to score on 10 consecutive possessions. The defense proved to be the undoing at the end of the game, particularly defensive rebounding. Jakob Poeltl and DeMar DeRozan collected key offensive rebounds with the game tied, preventing the Kings from ever building an advantage. DeRozan was far too comfortable in the Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images Here we go! The NBA restart is in full-swing in the Orlando, Florida bubble, and the Sacramento Kings are set to begin their push for a playoff spot when they play their opener against the San Antonio Spurs. Sacramento went 1-2 in their three scrimmage matchups before the games begin to count. Of course, the Kings were one of the hardest-hit teams by injures, and COVID-19 leading up to the beginning of the restart. De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, Harrison Barnes, Alex Len, Richaun Holmes and Jabari Parker all missed time during the lead up to the opener, which was challenging for head coach Luke Walton in terms of setting up his potential rotations. The Kings will have most of the players back in the lineup, minus Bagley and Len. Game information: Where: Orlando, Florida When: Friday, 5 p.m. PT TV: NBC Sports California, (Interim play-by-play man Gary Gerould, and color commentator Doug Christie will call the games on Collapse

7/30/2020 - Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images Both games can potentially impact the Sacramento Kings’ playoff chances, For the first time since the league shutdown on March 11, we have an official NBA game on the schedule! In the opener of the restart, the Utah Jazz will take on the New Orleans Pelicans. This is a huge one for the Sacramento Kings as they will be fighting it out with the Pelicans to finish in the top-nine in the Western Conference. The Kings and Pelicans are dead-even in the standings with a record of 28-36, both squads have a .438 winning percentage as well. Zion Williamson will be a game-time decision for New Orleans after he had to leave the bubble to deal with a family emergency. Sacramento fans will definitely be pulling for Utah in this one. Following that, we will get the top-two teams in the Western Conference facing off in the battle of L.A. with the Los Angeles Lakers going up against the L.A. Clippers. The Lakers lead their cross-town rivals by 5.5 games Collapse

7/29/2020 - Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images The Kings forward seized his opportunity during the exhibitions with Sacramento missing several other players. Every team has had to deal with player absences from the NBA bubble, whether related to the coronavirus or not, but it seems like the Kings were particularly hard hit during the scrimmage phase. De’Aaron Fox missed one game with a sprained ankle. Marvin Bagley III was sent home after injuring his foot. Richaun Holmes missed two games for inadvertently stepping outside the bubble. Harrison Barnes just made it in time for the last scrimmage after the coronavirus hit his household, and Alex Len still hasn’t played while he recovers from the virus. In the midst of all that attrition, DaQuan Jeffries had an opportunity to play extended minutes for Sacramento for the first time all season, having spent the majority of his time with the Stockton Kings as a two-way player. He only played 19 minutes with the parent club all season, but Collapse