Mar 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) looks to move the ball past Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

NBA Reveals the Sacramento Kings' Play-In Tournament Schedule

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 9:29 PM ET

The Sacramento Kings have had as much of an up-and-down season as any other team in the NBA, but they are now just two games away from clinching a spot in the 2025 playoffs.

After taking down the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon, 109-98, for their regular-season finale, the Kings have officially ended their 2024-25 campaign in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 40-42 record. After back-to-back years of finishing above .500, the Kings have fallen back below average.

The Kings are now set to face off against the tenth-place Dallas Mavericks in the play-in tournament. The Mavericks finished their season 39-43, just one game behind the Kings, despite making one of the most dumbfounding trades in NBA history and dealing with an absurd amount of injuries.

Now that the regular season has wrapped up, the NBA has revealed the full play-in tournament schedule.

The Kings will face off against the Mavericks in Sacramento on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The #SoFiPlayIn matchups are set!

Tuesday on TNT:
7:30pm/et: #8 Hawks at #7 Magic
10:00pm/et: #8 Grizzlies at #7 Warriors

Wednesday on ESPN:
7:30pm/et: #10 Heat at #9 Bulls
10:00pm/et: #10 Mavericks at #9 Kings pic.twitter.com/qWe1VqLC1T
— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2025

The other Western Conference play-in game is between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, as the winner of that matchup clinches the seven seed in the playoffs to face the Houston Rockets in the first round.

If the Kings beat the Mavericks on Wednesday, they will go on to face the loser of the Grizzlies-Warriors matchup on Friday night on the road. The winner of this matchup would clinch the eight seed in the playoffs and face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, while the loser would be sent home.

The Kings have had an utterly disappointing season and are certainly in a challenging spot moving forward. If the Kings make the playoffs, they would have to go up against the best team in the NBA and one of the most dominant teams in league history, the OKC Thunder.

But, even if they do not make the playoffs, there is a strong chance their top-12 protected first-round pick conveys to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Kings certainly have a busy offseason in front of them, regardless of what happens in the play-in tournament this week, but the city and fanbase deserve a strong showing after such a chaotic and overall underwhelming 2024-25 season.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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