It's not for nothing that they call it the “Wild, Wild West.”
Entering the final day of the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the Warriors (45-36) and Kings (45-36) remain in contention for a postseason spot after both teams lost on Friday night. ing.
If the season ended today, the teams would meet on Tuesday, April 16th at Golden 1 Center in a win-or-win or home game between the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds. The Kings hold the tiebreaker against the Warriors and will earn the higher seed due to their superior performance in the Pacific Division.
However, fortunately for both teams, they are not locked into either of the bottom two seeds and still have a chance to jump past the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and avoid a potential one-shot matchup. There is. Here's how:
If the Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans (49-32) on Sunday, the Warriors and Kings will be locked into a matchup between the 9th and 10th seeds, and even if both teams win their final games, Sacramento will still be in the tie. He would hold the break and the top seed. on sunday.
If the Lakers lose to the Pelicans, the Kings will secure the No. 8 seed with a 21-60 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Golden 1 Center. Finally, if the Lakers and Kings both lose, the Warriors will secure the No. 8 seed with a 31-50 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday at Chase Center.
Simply put, the Kings are rooting for Sacramento to win and the Lakers to lose. The Warriors are rooting for Golden State to win and the Kings and Lakers to lose.
According to a press release from the NBA on Saturday, the 7-8 and 9-10 West teams will only play if the Philadelphia 76ers are the Eastern Conference's seventh seed, possibly the NHL's Philadelphia. -The game will be held on Tuesday due to the Flyers. They play their home game on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center, the same venue as the 76ers.
If the 76ers are not the No. 7 seed in the East, the 7-8 West game would be played on Tuesday and the 9-10 game would be played on Wednesday, April 17th.
There are still many unanswered questions, but the finish line is almost here.
How will the Western Conference end? And where will the Warriors and Kings end up? Tune in to Sunday's regular season finale coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California. Warriors pregame live begins at 11:30 a.m. and Kings pregame live begins at 12 p.m.
