Usually when early-season games have a playoff feel, it’s because it’s an intense game between two top-level teams; but it’s still a touch hyperbolic. But to label Tuesday night’s game between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings as having a playoff feel was fairly realistic. After the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the day, the matchup between budding rivals had much larger implications than a November game usually offers: it determined who would advance in the inaugural NBA in-season tournament.
The stage was set clearly: if the Warriors won by 12 or more points, they would advance to the knockout stage.