SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points and the Sacramento Kings assured themselves of at least one more home game by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 121-82 in the teams’ regular-season finale on Sunday.
Sacramento will head into the play-in tournament on Tuesday night, hosting Golden State in the ninth versus 10th-place game in the Western Conference. The New Orleans Pelicans will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the No. 7 versus No. 8 matchup.
After snapping an NBA-record long 16-year playoff drought last season, the Kings were in good position to finish in the top six and return to the postseason this year before losing five of six games headed into the season finale. Now they must get in through the play-in tournament without key injured players Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter.
They cruised in the finale against a short-handed Blazers team playing out the string on a lost season. The Kings opened a 20-point lead in the second quarter and never were threatened.
Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection after closing some restaurants
Transitional council in Haiti to choose new leaders is formally established amid gang violence
Three killed in Ethiopia shootout as regional rebellions spill into the capital
Arrest Lord Mountbatten's self
Writers decline recognition from PEN America over Israel
Belarus convicts a famous dissident rock band and sentences its members to correctional labor
Prominent surgeon says he was denied entry to Germany for a pro
What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?
US, Japan and South Korea hold drills in disputed sea as Biden hosts leaders of Japan, Philippines
Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia
Chile will ask Venezuela to extradite citizens suspected of killing an anti