Betting on the Kings to make the playoffs is risky.
As NBA action finally makes its return from the 2022 All-Star break, the Kings have once again reached that point in the season where they make it or break it. Will they finally make it happen and end the league leading 15 year playoff drought, or will the mediocrity continue to burgeon in Sacramento?
According to the team future odds and lines provided by Draftkings, the Kings are +450 to finish as the 10th seed or higher in the Western Conference. However, they are also -750 to finish lower than 10th and -5000 to make the playoffs.
This means that the people at Draftkings think the Kings will somehow win just about 30 games, but it will be enough for them to make the play in tournament.
For these numbers to be accurate, that means Sacramento will win at maximum nine more games out of the 22 left on the schedule after the break. It also means the Kings will jump the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, and Portland Trail Blazers to claim the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Both of these are very attainable goals. However, the Kings will likely need to win more than just nine games. The Blazers, who currently hold the 10th seed, are three and a half games ahead of the Kings coming out of the break. Though that isn’t much, at this point in the season every game matters substantially more. Unless the Blazers, Spurs, and Pels have a horrific last 22 games, the battle for the 10th seed will likely come down to final week of the regular season.
Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.