Kings punch their ticket to the postseason, Murray sets rookie record

The streak is over.

After 16 years of misery, the Sacramento Kings secured a playoff spot Wednesday night when they walked into the Moda Center and handled the Trail Blazers by a final of 120-80.

The Kings had a shot to clinch a post season berth earlier in the evening, but the Los Angeles Clippers closed out the Memphis Grizzlies to stay in the chase for a top four spot.

With the Clippers’ win, they now have a 41-36 record. Sacramento holds a 3-1 season series advantage over Ty Lue’s squad and lead by six games in the loss column with six games remaining. This means that even if the Kings lose out and the Clippers win every game, the Kings would still get in over their division rival.

This is a moment years in the making. The last time the Kings made the postseason was the 2005-06 season under head coach Rick Adelman. Since that time, 11 head coaches have tried and failed to snap the streak.

In his first year on the job, Mike Brown has kept the team on track all season. At 46-30, the Kings still have a shot at 50 wins and Brown is just the second head coach to post a .500 record since the team moved to Sacramento before the start of the 1985-86 season.

This team has lofty goals. Not only did they punch their ticket to the playoffs on Wednesday night, they also secured a home court advantage in the first round and they are on the verge of locking up the Pacific Division crown. The Kings have only won the Pacific twice in their 38 seasons in Sacramento, completing the feat in back-to-back seasons during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns.

Brown and his staff have done an excellent job of keeping the team on the right path throughout a long season. They have avoided major injuries and they practice as much or more than any team in the NBA. The team has remained focused on improving throughout the year and their attention to detail is something that has been lacking over the last decade and a half.

With the win in Portland, the Kings now have six games remaining to continue their hunt for 50 wins. They need to finish the year 4-2 with another game against the Trail Blazers up next, followed by matchups against the Spurs, Pelicans, Mavericks, Warriors and Nuggets.

After coming into the season with a projected win total of 34.5 games, the Kings have defied the odds makers. Making the playoffs is just a first step. They have loftier goals ahead and despite their lack of overall experience, they’ve shown a resiliency seldom seen for a team that is newly assembled.

Kee-gan…

In addition to a big night for the Kings, Keegan Murray came out firing from deep and came away with a record. With his three makes from deep, Murray now has 188 made 3-pointers, which surpassed Donovan Mitchell’s rookie record of 187.

The No. 4 overall pick from the 2022 NBA Draft has played his role spectacularly this season. He has plenty more to offer, but as a rookie, he’s provided spacing for the Kings’ high-powered offense.

It should be noted that Murray is now 188-for-462 (40.7 percent) from behind the arc this year. Mitchell was 187-for-550 (34 percent) in his rookie season.