Kings' latest loss reshapes their draft lottery path. A crucial winless streak could cost them valuable percentage points in the race for top prospects.
On Sunday, the Sacramento Kings fell 116-99 to the Brooklyn Nets, ending a 10-game skid for Brooklyn.
On the surface, this was just a throwaway game between two of the worst teams in the NBA. However, the game actually had huge implications for the upcoming NBA draft lottery.
With that loss, the Kings fell to 19-57 on the season, sitting just below the Nets (18-57), who currently hold the third spot for the league's worst record.
The Kings, dead last in the West, have the fourth-worst record overall, trailing the Nets, Washington Wizards (17-57) and the NBA-worst Indiana Pacers (17-58).
The Kings are currently in the top tier of lottery teams, but just shy of the threshold for having the best chance to get one of the top four selections. If the season ended today, Sacramento would be looking at a 48.1-percent chance of ending up within the bottom-four, with a 12.5-percent chance at the No. 1 pick.
However, moving into the bottom three would boost the Kings' chances to 52.1-percent for a top-four selection.
Of course, with the talented prospects in this year's draft class, it has become a race to the bottom for struggling NBA teams as they look to secure an early selection. However, Kings coach Doug Christie has said he will continue to try to earn victories for his team.
In mid-March, following the Kings' two-game win streak over the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, Christie told reporters about his "anti-tanking" strategy, even if it costs Sacramento some valuable percentage points.
"We go out there to play and we go out there to win," Christie said. "Now if they beat you, they beat you."
Christie referenced last year's draft lottery, which saw the Dallas Mavericks secure the No. 1 pick despite having a 1.8-percent chance to do so.
"And I think last year there's a shining example of a team that was supposed to get the number-one pick and did not," Christie said.
The remaining six games of the regular season could have a big impact on the Kings' chances of falling into the worst-three teams pool of the lottery structure, but with only one bona fide playoff team on Sacramento's schedule, Christie's anti-tanking beliefs could get the Kings into trouble.
The Kings close out the season against one team currently in the top six of the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors (42-32). Four of the remaining five bouts are against the Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and two matchups with the Golden State Warriors, who will be battling for positioning within the play-in.
Luckily for the Kings, this draft is one of the most talented ever, with the entire lottery being stocked full of prospects that project as difference makers in the NBA. However, picking in the top-three means having your choice of players like BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Duke's Cameron Boozer, Kansas' Darryn Peterson and Arkansas' Darius Acuff, who have likely played their way into the top-five.
The Kings continue their road trip Wednesday in Toronto against the Raptors. Tip is set for 7 p.m. ET.
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