In the previous season, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan ended up in ninth spot with the Chicago Bulls. Following their thrilling come-from-behind victory on Monday evening, they’re now close to securing ninth position once more for the Sacramento Kings.
In the Kings’ 127-117 victory against the Detroit Pistons, LaVine and DeRozan together amassed 80 points. During the final period, LaVine scored 17 points and nailed five triples, whereas Domantas Sabonis recorded a triple-double, contributing significantly with 17 out of his total 19 points in the latter part of the game.
This marks the Sacramento group’s second successive strong showing after their impressive 120-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. In that game, LaVine notched 37 points, hitting an efficient 15 out of 21 shots including seven three-pointers. Meanwhile, DeRozan contributed 28 points against the Cavaliers, and Sabonis narrowly missed achieving a triple-double with his stat line of 27 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
As they have three games left to play, the Kings are currently ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, who are in 10th place, by just one game and possess the tiebreaker over them. This edge might prove significant since teams seeded ninth and playing at home have an impressive record of 6 wins and only 2 losses when up against tenth-seeded teams throughout history. A memorable example occurred with the 2023 Chicago Bulls; despite being the lower seed number nine team, they managed to defeat the tenth-placed Toronto Raptors thanks largely to a remarkable turnaround victory spurred by DeRozan’s leadership and bolstered by LaVine’s standout 39 points.
The Bulls couldn’t secure a playoff spot during the final play-in game for both seasons; however, simply reaching and playing against the victor of the 7th vs. 8th seed matchup would count as progress following a year when the Kings revamped their squad subsequent to De’Aaron Fox’s trade request.
However, apart from the outstanding performances of their star trio, the Sacramento Kings’ defense made a significant impact on Monday’s game. They limited the Detroit Pistons to just 45 points in the second half. Facing either team as underdogs in a match between the seventh and eighth seeds, the Kings still possess the talent, particularly with LaVine performing so strongly, to potentially cause an upset.
For the moment, they simply need to secure ninth place with two additional victories. Also, let LaVine steady his shooting hand.
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