Kings’ play-in hopes in peril after loss to Celtics and this NBA star’s return from injury

Sacramento’s play-in hopes are in peril with 11 games remaining in the regular season and the NBA’s best team coming to town Tuesday to face the reeling Kings on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Kings have lost three in a row and seven of nine after suffering a 113-95 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday at Golden 1 Center. They are still ninth in the Western Conference, but their lead over the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks is down to a half game in a three-team race for the last two play-in spots in the West.

Ten-time All-Star Anthony Davis returned from an 18-game injury absence to lead the Mavericks to a 120-101 road win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. Meanwhile in Phoenix, Devin Booker buried a stepback jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining to give the Suns a 108-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Pressure is mounting in Sacramento and no one is satisfied with the way the team is playing.

“The vibe is not good,” Kings guard Zach LaVine said. “It shouldn’t be. We’re not happy with the way we’ve been performing individually and as a group.”

Sacramento’s slide continued with Monday’s loss to the Celtics, who pulled away to win despite losing Jayson Tatum to an ankle injury in the third quarter. Tatum had 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Celtics (53-19), who have won six in a row and 11 of their last 12.

DeMar DeRozan had 20 points and 10 assists for the Kings (35-36), who will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Domantas Sabonis returned to the lineup to post 16 points and 17 rebounds after missing the past three games with a right ankle sprain, but that wasn’t enough against the surging Celtics.

“We have really good moments against top teams,” Sabonis said. “Then we have moments that aren’t so good, and these teams are really good and they’re going to take advantage of that. We just have to try to put together as close as possible to 48 minutes so we can get the win.”

Three weeks ago, the Kings were tied for seventh in the West, a half-game behind the Golden State Warriors for the No. 6 seed. As recently as March 12, the Kings had a 1 ½-game lead over the Mavericks and a four-game lead over the Suns, but not anymore.

The Mavericks and Suns both appeared to be in a freefall in recent weeks. The Suns lost 11 of 15 from Feb. 8 to March 12. Dallas, which has been decimated by injuries, lost nine of 10 from March 1-19, but Davis now is back and the Mavericks are coming off back-to-back wins.

The Suns have the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA. With 10 games to go, their opponents have a .621 winning percentage. They still have to play the Celtics (2), Thunder, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Warriors and Bucks.

The Kings have the eighth-toughest remaining strength of schedule. Their last 11 opponents have a .530 winning percentage. They still have to play the Thunder, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and Los Angels Clippers before concluding the regular season against the Suns on April 13.

The Mavericks have the 16^th-toughest remaining strength of schedule (.504). They still have to play the Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and Clippers.

The Kings know how close the race with three weeks to go.

“We’re aware,” Sabonis said. “It’s a very tough position and every game matters. We’ve just got to play our best basketball and win the most games we can.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.