Warriors vs Kings Tiebreaker Scenario: Who holds the advantage for 2024 NBA playoffs?

The Golden State Warriors overpowered the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, securing a 100-92 road win. The victory marked the Warriors' third straight, moving them into a three-way tie with the Sacramento Kings (45-35) and LA Lakers (45-35) for the Western Conference's No. 8 seed.

Regarding head-to-head tiebreakers, Sacramento has the advantage over LA and Golden State. The Kings swept the Lakers 4-0 in their season series to secure the tiebreaker.

Meanwhile, despite splitting their season series 2-2 against the Warriors, they own the tiebreaker via their better division record. Sacramento is 10-6 against the Pacific division, while Golden State is just 7-9.

Additionally, the Warriors own the tiebreaker over the Lakers after winning their season series 3-1.

However, with all three tied, the team with the best combined record against the other two gets the edge. The Kings are 6-2 against the Lakers and Warriors, slightly better than Golden State's 5-3 mark against Sacramento and LA. Meanwhile, the Lakers are just 1-7 against the Kings and Warriors.

So, Sacramento controls its destiny with two games remaining. If it finishes the season undefeated, it will remain in eighth, getting two chances to make the playoffs via the play-in tournament.

However, if the Kings slip up, they could be surpassed by the Warriors or Lakers.

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Mike Brown on threat of Kings being surpassed by Warriors or Lakers

Sacramento's 135-123 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday marked its fourth in its last five games. Its late-season struggles have allowed Golden State and LA to catch up in the congested West standings.

Nonetheless, Kings coach Mike Brown is optimistic about his squad's chances of holding onto the eighth seed.

"If we could’ve finished in sixth, I wanted that more than anything else. Or fifth," Brown said postgame. "But at the end of the day, this is where we are, and let’s frickin’ go get it and let’s learn and grow from it and see what happens, at the end of the day. But I’m excited about any opportunity to play in the postseason.”

Sacramento closes the season with home matchups against the Phoenix Suns (47-33) and Portland Trail Blazers (21-59) on Friday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Warriors have home showdowns against the Pelicans (48-32) and Utah Jazz (30-50) on Friday and Sunday.

As for the Lakers, their final two games take place on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies (27-53) and Pelicans (48-32) on Friday and Sunday.

Thus, all three finish the season against one of the West's top-seven teams and one West bottom feeder. So, the Kings will likely need to secure a signature win to maintain their top-eight spot.

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