As the final buzzer sounded in Golden 1 Center on Friday, the Sacramento Kings sat 2.5 games back in the race for its first playoff berth in over a decade.
With 20 games remaining, the fans leaving the packed arena were somber but the outlook in the locker room remained focused.
“Everybody knows what’s going on,” said Buddy Hield. “This is our job and this is the fun part about it – proving yourself. And we’ve got to prove ourselves.”
The loss dropped the Kings to 0-4 on the season against the Los Angeles Clippers and just 3-11 overall against the Pacific Division.
However, following a challenging six-game stretch - which saw Sacramento face the top two teams in each conference, Denver, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles - the team will look to get right as the 13-49 New York Knicks come to town on Monday.
“Every possession matters and everything goes down to the wire,” said Willie Cauley-Stein, who finished with 16 points and 12 boards. “Every game is a playoff game… we have to have that mentality every game from here on out.”
No matter what happens, the Kings have a fourth of the season left to shock the world and complete a goal that most NBA analysts said they had no chance of at the onset of the 2018-19 campaign.