Kings Snap Record-Setting Playoff Drought
The Kings have ended the longest active stretch of futility in pro sports. Light the beam.
With Wednesday’s road win over the Trail Blazers, the Western Conference’s third seed has officially clinched its first playoff berth in 17 years, following 16 straight seasons in the lottery.
The victory improves Sacramento’s season record to 46-30. The team still has a very realistic chance at achieving its first 50-win season since the 50-32 Kings hit that mark in 2004/05.
The ’05/06 season marks the last time the Kings qualified for the playoffs. At 44-38, Sacramento was the eighth seed in the Western Conference under the stewardship of then-head coach Rick Adelman, who had led several of those Chris Webber-era teams so achingly close to the NBA Finals around the turn of the 21st century.
That year’s Kings club was fronted on the floor by a few leftover players from those halcyon days, including point guard Mike Bibby and stretch forward Peja Stojakovic. Bibby led the team in scoring that season, at 21.1 points per game. Stojakovic (16.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG), forward Metta World Peace (16.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG), and center Brad Miller (15.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 4.7 APG) served as the club’s other leading scorers.
In 2006, that Sacramento club was vanquished in a six-game first-round series by the Spurs, the league’s then-defending champs.
The 2022/23 Kings are fronted by the All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox — the league’s leading fourth quarter scorer — and All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, who are both enjoying career seasons for an elite offense. New head coach Mike Brown, fresh off winning his third title with the Warriors last summer as Golden State’s associate head coach, is a leading candidate for 2023 Coach of the Year honors.
The Kings’ 16 straight seasons out of the playoffs represented the longest streak in NBA history and the longest active playoff drought in any of the four major North American sports. Sacramento will pass that torch to the NFL’s New York Jets and possibly the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres — the Jets have missed the postseason for 12 straight seasons and the Sabres will be in the same boat if they don’t make the playoffs this spring.
The longest active postseason drought in the NBA now belongs to the Hornets, who last made the playoffs in 2016.
Mavs Notes: Doncic, Tanking, Disaster Season, League Standing
The escalating in-game complaints of Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic have grown so distracting that even he has acknowledged he needs to get them under control, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
Townsend wonders if Doncic will actually adjust his whining to referees at some point, a potentially essential tweak to a game that otherwise is one of the most exciting in the NBA.
Doncic was recently assessed what would have been his 16th technical foul this season in a Sunday defeat against the Hornets. A 16th tech would have warranted an automatic suspension, but the NBA intervened and rescinded the call.
Doncic’s complaints certainly have not helped his team win many games of late. Dallas has struggled since offloading two starters, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, for one injury-prone All-Star in Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks own a 9-13 record with Irving on the team, though injuries to both of the team’s All-Star guards have limited their availability during that stretch.
There’s more out of Dallas:
- The 37-39 Mavericks have fallen from being a top-four seed in the West to the conference’s current No. 11 seed. Dallas owes a top-10-protected 2023 lottery pick to the Knicks. Tanking to preserve the selection might be the savviest move at this juncture, contends Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
- The Mavs’ miserable second half is shedding light on major underlying issues in Dallas, posits Tim Cato of The Athletic. Beyond the personal problems Doncic recently alluded to, the team is sorely missing the three-guard attack and consistent defensive buy-in that helped it reach the Western Conference Finals last season.
- Two blowout losses to an injury-depleted, rebuilding Hornets club have officially made the Mavericks the NBA’s biggest disappointment this year, writes Marc Stein in a new Substack piece.
Clippers Notes: George, Weaknesses, Morris
All-Star Clippers forward Paul George discussed his recent right knee sprain on a brand-new episode of his show Podcast P (YouTube video link).
According to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), George indicated that he is unsure of exactly when he will return for L.A. as the season winds down. He is expected to have the ligament reassessed during the final week of the regular season.
“I’m gonna do whatever I can do to shorten the [return] process,” George said, adding that he feared he had torn his ACL when he first went down with the injury.
There’s more out of Los Angeles:
- Without George, the Clippers are kicking off a key week for their playoff standing. A 131-110 Saturday blowout at the hands of the Pelicans exposed some big weaknesses for the team, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. Pace and age are two noteworthy issues, Murray notes. “They’re generally a really good team in the half court defensively,” Pelicans guard CJ McCollum said. “Transition-wise, not so great. So we just tried to get out and run, get stops, and create easy baskets.”
- The Clippers have revealed that forward Marcus Morris will miss tonight’s game against the Bulls with an illness, Greif reports (via Twitter).
- In case you missed it, Rory Maher of Hoops Rumors recently unpacked the Clippers’ three-team trade to reacquire their own 2008 lottery pick, Eric Gordon.
Injury Notes: Brunson, Bulls, Cavaliers, KAT, Grizzlies
Knicks starting point guard Jalen Brunson will miss his second straight game on Monday with a sprained right hand, the team has announced (Twitter link).
The 6’1″ Brunson is enjoying a career season with his new club. Across 65 healthy games, he’s averaging 23.8 PPG on .489/.411/.833 shooting. The 26-year-old is also averaging 6.2 APG, 3.6 RPG and 0.9 SPG for New York.
Reserve guard Derrick Rose, who has been out of the rotation since the calendar rolled over to 2023, will also be inactive for this evening’s bout against the Rockets due to an illness, the Knicks add.
Here are some more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Bulls forward Javonte Green, who continues to recover from a January knee surgery after making a brief return to the lineup last week, will be out tonight against the Clippers, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Johnson adds that veteran Chicago guard Alex Caruso is considered questionable to play.
- Several Cavaliers players comprise the club’s injury report ahead of the team’s game Tuesday against the Hawks, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter links). Starting center Jarrett Allen is questionable with a groin strain, while starting small forward Isaac Okoro is also questionable due to a sore knee. Swingman Danny Green and point guard Raul Neto will not play. Wing Dean Wade is doubtful to play through an illness. Isaiah Mobley, Sam Merrill and Dylan Windler are all going to be working with Cleveland’s NBAGL affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.
- Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns will sit out tonight’s game against the Kings as he manages his right calf strain injury on the second night of a back-to-back, the team has announced (Twitter link). Two-way player Matt Ryan is out with an illness. All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards is questionable due to a sprained right ankle. Guard Jaylen Nowell is also questionable with a left knee tendinopathy.
- At least five Grizzlies players will be shelved for Tuesday’s contest against the Magic, Memphis has announced (via Twitter). Beyond Brandon Clarke, who’s out for the year with a left Achilles tear, Ziaire Williams, Vince Williams, Jake LaRavia and Steven Adams are all also sidelined. All-Star point guard Ja Morant is considered doubtful to play due to a sore right thigh.
Heat Notes: Love, Defense, Trade Deadline, Zeller
When veteran power forward Kevin Love signed with the Heat off the buyout market, he was hoping to help the team avoid the East’s play-in tournament bracket by securing a top-six seed, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
A member of the eighth-seeded Cavaliers last season, Love’s team lost two consecutive play-in contests and missed out on the actual playoffs. After being squeezed out of Cleveland’s lineup this year, he negotiated a buyout to join Miami, optimistic his new team could skip the play-in process.
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity, the opportunity to play,” Love told Winderman. “Because in Cleveland I don’t know if that would have been the case… So I wish I had more time… But, again, every game is huge for us at this point. So trying not too hard to put too much pressure on myself or press too hard. But we do need to win basketball games.”
Miami is currently in a dead heat with the Nets for the No. 6 seed — both teams are 40-35.
There’s more out of Miami:
- Heat players are aware that the team, which had a top-five defensive rating through the All-Star break, has had one of the NBA’s worst defenses in the 16 games following said break, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I say the lack of communication when we get fatigued [is to blame for the lapse],” opined Bam Adebayo. “I feel like that’s the big momentum shift — when guys get fatigued, we stop talking. It hurts us because we expect guys to be in certain places and we’re not.”
- Beyond moving off the contract of center Dewayne Dedmon, the Heat had a fairly quiet trade deadline. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald explains that the team did have offers from other teams to take on some its costlier salaries, presumably for veterans Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson, but rival clubs wanted Miami to offload first-round picks in any such exchange. The Heat were unwilling to do so.
- Heat reserve center Cody Zeller, another veteran buyout market addition, appears set to return to action on Tuesday against the Raptors, Chiang reports (Twitter link). A broken nose has held Zeller out of the club’s previous six contests.
Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Tatum, Brown, Pritchard, Harris
New Nets forward Cameron Johnson is convinced Brooklyn has enough quality players to make some noise in the postseason, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post.
“Obviously, combining a couple players, there’s some things we have to iron out,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “But I think the core of what we have, and what we’re trying to do, I think it’s pretty special. We’ve got guys that compete, guys that play hard and you’re gonna start seeing us build this thing together.”
Across his 18 games with his new team, Johnson is averaging 16.2 PPG on .438/.358/.824 shooting. He’s also chipping in 4.7 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.4 SPG.
The Nets have gone 8-12 since trading All-Star forward Kevin Durant, and have slid to the East’s sixth seed with a 40-34 record.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Asked this week about the conversation he had last summer with teammate Jaylen Brown while rumors circulated that Brown could be involved in a trade for Durant, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum explained what he said during that phone call. “Just re-sharing the obvious that we need him and he’s a big part of this team and this franchise,” Tatum said, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link). “Without him, we can’t reach our goal.”
- Celtics reserve point guard Payton Pritchard had his status upgraded to questionable to play ahead of today’s contest with the Spurs, Weiss tweets. A heel injury has kept Pritchard unavailable for the past three weeks’ worth of games.
- Sixers power forward Tobias Harris has accepted that he is generally the fourth scoring option for a talented Philadelphia team, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s just staying patient in the flow of everything,” Harris said. “There’s going to be nights where the ball finds me more than others. There’s going to be nights where [it doesn’t]… Really, I just have to be OK with that, and just really do other things on the floor and do things that’s going to help the team win, and stay ready and stay patient.”
Bulls Notes: DeRozan, Green, White, Beverley
Bulls All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan is making his return to the lineup on Sunday after sitting out Friday’s win over the Trail Blazers with a right quad injury, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
“I feel good,” DeRozan said. “Everything’s a go. Regular-scheduled programming. It was just really sore after those three marathons that I ran. But I’m good, got a lot of treatment these last couple days—ice, recovery.”
DeRozan missed five games earlier this season with the same injury, which he reaggravated in a Wednesday loss to the Sixers, opting to leave early.
“I’ve been feeling it since January,” DeRozan added. “I just find ways to get through most of the games. Just that game was the worst as far as soreness. It takes a lot for me to sit out a game. I just wanted to take care of it these last couple days and get rid of the soreness.”
There’s more out of the Windy City:
- After appearing in two games with the Bulls this week following a two-month absence, Javonte Green appears to have suffered a setback in his recovery from knee surgery. Green has now sat for two straight games, and head coach Billy Donovan stated that the forward is struggling with “soreness and discomfort” the day after playing, Johnson tweets. Donovan has not indicated that the team intends to shut Green down for the rest of the year. After today, Chicago will have just eight games left in the regular season.
- Donovan is convinced that young Bulls reserve combo guard Coby White, already a good shooter, has taken his defensive game to the next level this season, Johnson writes in a separate piece. “He’s playmaking,” Donovan said. “He’s passing. He’s driving. He’s making good decisions. He’s defending. He’s playing two ways.” White will be a restricted free agent this summer, and is making a case for Chicago to retain him with his improved play.
- The next three games for the Bulls and starting point guard Patrick Beverley will be against two of Beverley’s former teams, the Lakers (twice) and Clippers. Beverley is hoping to knock the Lakers down the standings from their current No. 8 seed in the West, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “They’ve gotten better after the trade,” Beverley said of the Lakers. “The Bulls after the All-Star break, we’ve gotten better, and that’s what it’s all about. At the end of the day, we’re playing basketball. We’re not out there a UFC fighter or a boxing match. We’re able to compete at the highest level, and to do it on a stage in L.A. is always fun.’’
LeBron James Returns For Lakers On Sunday
Lakers All-Star small forward LeBron James will make his first appearance in a month on Sunday afternoon against the Bulls, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
James had been on the shelf since suffering a right foot tendon injury against the Mavericks in late February. He has missed 27 games for the Lakers thus far this season, and had been sidelined for the past 13 straight. When he has played, he’s looked more or less like vintage LeBron, at least on offense. He’s averaging 29.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 6.9 APG and 0.9 SPG.
It had been previously reported that James would test his right foot during team warmups ahead of today’s contest to ultimately determine whether or not he would suit up for Los Angeles.
James will come off the bench today for just the second time in his 20-year NBA career, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (via Twitter). Troy Brown Jr., who has proven himself as a capable starter in his stead, will get the nod once again as LeBron gets back up to speed. One would assume it’s only a matter of time until James reclaims his starting spot.
McMenamin tweets that starting L.A. point guard D’Angelo Russell will miss his second straight game with right hip soreness.
Texas Notes: Mavericks, Hardaway, Irving, Rockets, Spurs
Despite falling below .500, the 36-37 Mavericks remain intent on competing for a title this season, writes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com.
“The standings are going to change to the last game of the season,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “If we can get healthy and have everyone on the court, that gives us the best chance to win… We feel we have the pieces to be a championship team. We’re playing for a championship. But we just right now have to focus on the game that’s in front of us and that’s Charlotte.”
Over the past two weeks, Dallas has gone just 2-5, while slipping from the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference to No. 9. They have been without one or both of their two All-Star guards, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, in each of their past six games.
There’s more out of the Lone Star State:
- Irving and Tim Hardaway Jr. are both questionable to suit up for the Mavericks in their next game, Friday against the Hornets, the team has announced (Twitter link). Irving is dealing with a sore right foot, while Hardaway continues to struggle through a non-COVID illness.
- Two Rockets players may not be available for Houston on Friday against the Grizzlies, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Small forward Jae’Sean Tate will miss another game due to his sore left knee, while center Frank Kaminsky is considered questionable to play due to migraines.
- Several key Spurs players will be sidelined Friday night against the Wizards, as the team continues to tank. Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News reports (Twitter link) that rookie Jeremy Sochan will be shelved with a sore knee and guard Romeo Langford will miss the action with an adductor injury. The team’s second-leading scorer, Devin Vassell, is questionable with a knee injury, as is center Zach Collins, who is dealing with a biceps bruise.
NBA Fines Pacers’ Buddy Hield $25K
Pacers swingman Buddy Hield has been fined $25K by the NBA, the league announced in a press release (Twitter link).
The 6’4″ small forward was penalized for “making an obscene [hand] gesture on the playing court,” early in the second quarter of an eventual 115-109 March 20 loss to the Hornets, the press release states. Tony East of Sports Illustrated (Twitter video link) pinpointed the moment of the incident, which occurred while Hield was taking a breather on Indiana’s bench.
Fines aside, Hield has been enjoying another solid year for an Indiana team that remains very much in the thick of the play-in tournament race as of this writing. Despite that loss to a lowly Charlotte team Monday, the 33-40 Pacers are currently 1.5 games behind the Bulls for the East’s No. 10 seed.
Through 73 starts this year, Hield is averaging 17.1 PPG on .459/.424/.819 shooting splits for Indiana. He’s also contributing 5.0 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.2 APG. The 30-year-old sharpshooter is currently in the third season of a four-year contract he signed with the Kings in 2020.