What better way to get warmed up for a season restart than by facing some of the best teams in both conferences.
Sacramento is set for three scrimmages against the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Clippers starting on July 22. The squad will play these contests over the course of six days leading up to the NBA’s reboot of the 2019-20 campaign.
While Sactown returned to practice last week in preparation for the final stretch of the season, the team has not seen true basketball action since early March. This slate of contests against some of the Association’s top teams could be an effective way to knock off some of that rust.
These opponents are considered to be some of the elite squads in the NBA, but Sacramento has seen some success against them during this season.
Against the Heat, the Kings split their two contests with the loss coming in the form of a heartbreaker in overtime. In three matchups with the Clippers, Sacramento has been victorious in two of them, including a 124-103 rout back in January.
Milwaukee is the lone team of the three that the Kings have not picked up a W against in 2019-20.
Following the team’s first practice back together last week, Kings head coach Luke Walton touched on his mindset heading into the bubble in Orlando.
“It’s going to be a challenge for everyone - from the top-seeded teams to the teams like us who are trying to get into that playoff scenario,” said Walton. “The challenge is going to be finding that rhythm again.”
Coach Walton also noted how different teams will have different attitudes during this final portion of the regular season. He recognized that some of the teams that are already locked into a comfortable playoff position may be using these games to get back on track and then peak right at the start of the playoffs. However, his roster will be looking at those eight contests, and even the scrimmages leading up to them, through a different lens.
“We have to find a way to create that chemistry and be peaking from day one. It doesn’t carry over, said Walton. “I know we were playing well towards the end of the season, but for every team it’s starting over.”
Sacramento is traveling to Orlando this week and will continue preparing for the restart along with the other 21 teams involved.
With NBA action just on the horizon, Sactown’s faithful will eagerly await to see how their team handles the hurdles that separate the Kings from a spot in the playoffs.