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List of kings, NBA restart program: three things to know as Sacramento heads for Disney World

The kings of Sacramento are at the limit. They are 3 games and a half out of the playoffs, definitely ahead of the teams because-they-are-going-to-Disney-World (Phoenix, Washington) but without the hum of the guardian-for-these-guys! teams (Portland, New Orleans). Kings cannot point to an easy plan or potentially transformed list in Orlando; they just have to try to be their best and hope to be a little lucky.

Some context: the 29-37 Blazers are also 3 1/2 behind the Grizzlies in eighth place, but since they had played two more games when the season ended, they functionally have a tiebreaker on both the Kings and the Pelicans, who have identical 28-36 records. To trigger a play-in scenario, the team in ninth place must be within four games of the team in eighth place after everyone in Orlando has played eight “seeding games”. For Sacramento this means that every game is important, and the two against New Orleans will be intense.

List of kings

Players sitting outside: N / A

Program of the kings

All Eastern times

Key plots

Bagley is back: Let’s forget about the 13 games Bagley played this season before the break and how terrible the Kings were with him on the pitch. It should be one of the team’s centerpieces, and this would be a good time to remind everyone why. I suspect it will come off the bench, though, and coach Luke Walton will have some juggling to do. The last time Sacramento was on the field, Walton was trying to find minutes of testing for Holmes, Bjelica, Giles and Len. Something will have to give now and there may be tension between what’s best for the team’s playoff chances and what’s best for Bagley’s development.

foxing: Except for Fox’s lowest 3 point percentage, highest free throw percentage and highest utilization percentage, her pre-pandemic statistics per minute were practically identical to those of Ja Morant. Fox wasn’t much of a story, though, because the Kings had a terrible start and lost 17 games. This could change if the Kings get lost and it should change because, I mean, let’s look at this absolute maniac:

Fox is one of the most dynamic players on the planet, especially in the open field … which brings us to our next storyline.

Rhythm: The kings of 2018-19 have been confused. No team has spent more time in transition, for Cleaning The Glass, a style of play suitable for Fox for obvious reasons. This has changed drastically under the leadership of coach Luke Walton and the absence of a month of Fox does not come close to explaining the slowdown. Pace has been a topic of conversation throughout the team throughout the season, although Sacramento’s half-court defense is the area most responsible for his postponement. This is an identity question: if you are not building a very fast team around Fox, then how can you say that you are building around him?

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