As the NBA regular season enters its final month, the playoff races are beginning to come to a head. The Western Conference standings–both at the top and bottom of the postseason picture–are jam-packed as teams continue to play musical chairs, jumping and falling from different spots on a daily basis. Just one game separates the one-through-three seeds, while two games stand between four teams for the fifth-through-eighth seeds with eight games to go. The Sacramento Kings (43-31) squandered a two-game set against the Dallas Mavericks that could have put the ‘Beam Team’ in a top-six position, but the door has yet to fully close on that possibility. Thanks to a much-needed bounce-back win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, the Kings kept the Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans within two games in the standings with several key matchups on the horizon for each team in the playoff race. Western Conference Standings 
Sacramento has consistently bounced around between the sixth and eighth seed spots for the past month or so, and a tough schedule ahead will test a Kings team that will enter the final stretch without Malik Monk (MCL sprain) and Kevin Huerter (labrum surgery). The Kings aren’t alone on the tough schedule front, with the Phoenix Suns currently holding the most daunting road to the playoffs. Phoenix will face the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans two times each during their final eight games. In addition to the T-Wolves, Clippers, and Pelicans, the Suns’ final two matchups will be against Sacramento and Cleveland (45-30). While Phoenix’s playoff path is filled with obstacles, the Kings’ road isn’t much smoother. Sacramento’s week ahead includes a home showdown against the Clippers before hitting the road for a back-to-back against the New York Knicks (44-30) and NBA-best Boston Celtics (58-16). If a sixth-seed finish is what the Kings are aiming for, they will have to steal some games that they won’t be favored in–in other words, securing any of the following three matchups would go far in that quest for an automatic playoff bid. 
Head-to-Head Matchups Two crucial matchups remain for Sacramento–both taking place on consecutive days at Golden 1 Center later this month. While they have already lost the season series to New Orleans, Sacramento is trailing the sixth-seeded Pelicans by just two games. Depending on how the standings look on April 11th, it could be a big matchup between the two teams. Lastly, the Kings and Suns will determine the regular season tie-breaker on April 12th in a game that very well could determine where these teams finish in the standings. - Kings vs. Pelicans – Thursday, April 11th (Pelicans own tie-breaker vs. SAC, 4-0)
- Kings vs. Suns – Friday, April 12th (Winner secures tie-breaker, 2-2)
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Upcoming Schedule
- Tuesday, April 2nd – Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 PM PST
- Thursday, April 4th – Sacramento Kings @ New York Knicks – 4:30 PM PST
- Friday, April 5th – Sacramento Kings @ Boston Celtics – 4:30 PM PST
- Sunday, April 7th – Sacramento Kings @ Brooklyn Nets – 4:30 PM PST
- Tuesday, April 9th – Sacramento Kings @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 5:00 PM PST
Source: https://sactownsports.com/western-confe ... -big-week/