Following a disheartening loss to the Blazers, the Kings were eliminated from the NBA Cup. The Kings will have to wait until the next season to try to win an NBA Cup.
Sacramento’s 115-106 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Friday night means they are officially out of the NBA’s in-season playoffs.
Sacramento is now 0-3 in the tournament’s group stage and the only team without a win in Western Conference Group A following the Kings’ defeat to the Blazers. Sacramento’s group play deficit is minus 25 points.
Sacramento was behind by double digits for most of the second half on Friday, and even though Malik Monk led the Kings with 29 points and Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox combined for 43, it was unable to offset the lack of scoring elsewhere.
The Kings’ performance in the league’s second annual in-season tournament is comparable to Sacramento’s dismal start to the 2024–25 NBA season, as the team started the season with hopes of making a deep playoff run and is currently 9–11.
Rather, the Kings are now ranked No. 12 in the Western Conference playoff picture after a quarter of the season. They have a tall hill to climb in a conference where even the bottom-dwelling teams can be a tough opponent on any given night.
DeMar DeRozan, a six-time All-Star, missed his fifth game of the season on Friday due to an ongoing back injury. Sacramento’s inability to produce a cohesive offense versus Portland is evident in the Kings’ 2-3 record without DeRozan.
Things haven’t gone as planned thus far. After an eye-opening encounter with a referee that resulted in a significant fine, coach Mike Brown is searching far and wide for a spark for his side.
The Kings undoubtedly have the components to put together a run, and there is still plenty of time to right the ship.
