Kings' Domantas Sabonis Sounds off on Tough Western Conference

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis stresses the importance of being prepared in the competitive Western Conference.

Nov 11, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) smiles during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Western Conference is as tight as ever this year, as the 8-6 Sacramento Kings currently sit at ninth in the standings. Domantas Sabonis talked with SportsCasting’s DJ Siddiqi and stressed the importance of coming out prepared for every single game.

“You have to come prepared every night,” says Sabonis. “Obviously, in the NBA, if you don’t come prepared, you can lose, especially in the West, because you’re playing against the best. Everyone’s fighting for that spot. Like I said, last year we had two less wins. We ended up being the ninth seed after being the third seed the previous year. Every game matters, every win matters, especially this year.”

#Kings star Domantas Sabonis on the key to Sacramento making a return to the playoffs: "(We need to) mentally lock in. Last year, we beat all the best teams and then lost the next night against the lower tier teams."https://t.co/eSxy8YxFuw

— DJ Siddiqi (@DJSiddiqi) November 18, 2024

The Kings finished last season as the ninth seed at 46-36, three games behind the sixth-seeded Phoenix Suns. It’s the narrowest margin between a guaranteed playoff series and play-in tournament. With how the season has started, it will likely be a small spread between the two positions again this year.

Other than the loss to the now 2-12 Toronto Raptors, the Kings have done a good job of winning games they ‘should’ win. To give the Kigns some credit, the travel and back-to-back circumstances against the Raptors evened the matchup. Sacramento righted the ship by beating Toronto in Sacramento four days later by 15 points.

You can argue the Kings should have beaten the San Antonio Spurs, but even the Spurs are sitting at 6-8 this season.

What hurt the Kings last year was getting out to slow starts. They had nine games throughout the season where they ended the first quarter with a double-digit deficit. So far this season, their largest deficit a quarter into a game was eight in the loss to Toronto.

The Kings are one of six teams without a double-digit deficit at the end of the first quarter, joining the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Philadelphia 76ers.

Sacramento’s net rating in the first quarter is at 8.1 this year, the seventh-highest mark in the league. It’s almost double their 4.1 first-quarter net rating from last season.

One of the reasons the Kings targeted and brought in DeMar DeRozan was to help with their consistency. So far this season, it appears that whatever DeRozan has brought to the team, or whatever the returning players have done, is working.

The Kings are stressing the importance of coming out prepared every night, and while they sit at 8-6, they are putting themselves in a position to be in almost every game to the end. It’s hard to ask for more than that in the loaded Western Conference.

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