The Kings have defied expectations to stay in playoff contention despite blowing a few fourth-quarter leads and enduring one of the NBA’s toughest schedules over the first half of the season.
Their schedule has been grueling in terms of which teams they’ve faced and how often they have encountered back-to-back situations. They have already played three games against the Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers and two against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, five of the top eight teams in the Western Conference.
Adding to the degree of difficulty, only one team in the NBA has played more back-to-back games than the Kings.