The Kings exited the trade deadline with a clear objective of competing for the play-in this season, despite having the opportunity to collect assets for the future. That makes this two-game set in San Antonio of utmost importance.
It’s hard not to think of the last time the Kings played the Spurs, back in the bubble, when both teams were also in the mix for a play-in berth in Orlando. San Antonio ran all over Sacramento in the first quarter and proved that the Kings weren’t quite ready to compete at that level. The question now is if that’s still the case.