How close are the Sacramento Kings to making the playoffs?

Posted: Mar 20, 2023 / 12:45 PM PDT

Updated: Mar 20, 2023 / 02:27 PM PDT

(KTXL) — The Sacramento Kings are on the cusp of breaking the longest playoff drought in NBA history and they may clinch a spot as early as this week.

The Kings haven’t competed in the postseason in 16 years, but have gone under a resurgence this season with the league’s top-scoring offense.

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The team sits at No. 2 in the Western Conference standings Monday morning.

Sacramento reached 40 wins this season for the first time since 2005-06 season, which was also the last time they finished with a record over .500.

Heading into the final three weeks of the regular season, the Kings are 43-27.

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What is the Sacramento Kings’ magic number to the playoffs?

As of Monday, the Kings’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot is four, meaning they’ll need four more wins. That number can also decrease if the team at the No. 7 spot loses.

The Golden State Warriors are No. 7 in the Western Conference entering Monday.

The Kings finish a four-game road trip Monday against the Utah Jazz, as the Golden State Warriors play on the road against the Houston Rockets.

Teams that finish in the top six in their respective conferences clinch the playoffs, as teams from No. 7 to No. 10 slots compete for the seventh and eighth seeds in the play-in tournament.

The race for the West’s No. 2 seed

Finishing within the top four spots is vital for teams in the playoff chase, as those teams get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

If the Kings hold onto the No. 2 seed, they’ll get homecourt advantage in the first round and conference semifinals, if they were to make it to the latter round.

With 12 games left in the regular season, the top seed isn’t out of reach for the Kings, as they’re four games behind the West’s top team, the Denver Nuggets.

As the Kings look to hold onto the No. 2 seed and possibly climb atop the standings, they’ll have to hold off the Memphis Grizzlies, as they’re No. 3 seed in the West with the same record as the Kings.