Charlotte’s win against Sacramento on Wednesday night officially eliminated both the Kings and Wizards from playoff chances. Sacramento and Washington are now the second and third NBA teams unable to qualify for the postseason, following the Pacers, who were also eliminated after a loss to the Kings on Tuesday.
This defeat dropped Sacramento to a 16-51 record, the poorest in the Western Conference. With only 15 games left, they are 15 wins behind the No. 10 Trail Blazers (31-35). Portland has won all three matchups against Sacramento this season, which means they have the tiebreaker advantage going into their final game.
In the East, No. 10 Charlotte improved to 34-33, while Washington stands at 16-48 with 18 games remaining. The Hornets swept the Wizards 4-0 this season, giving them the tiebreaker over their division rivals.
The No. 9 Hawks, who are on a league-leading seven-game winning streak, also have 34 wins (31 losses). Atlanta has the tiebreaker over Washington, having won 3 out of 4 games against the Wizards this season.
In other Kings news, DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 39 points on 17-of-22 shooting during the loss to the Hornets, according to Jason Anderson from The Sacramento Bee. This performance moves DeRozan past Tim Duncan as the 18th-leading scorer in NBA history.
“I don’t take anything for granted in this game,” said DeRozan, 36, a six-time All-Star in his 17th NBA season. “I never imagined I would be playing this long or achieving what I have.”
“Being a lifelong fan of the game, it’s an honor to reach any goal in this league. It’s amazing to find myself in this position. I just love playing basketball, and sometimes, you end up with achievements like this. It’s definitely special.”