Mar 9, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) dribbles the ball against LA Clippers guard Kris Dunn (8) in the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The NBA regular season is winding down, but the impact of each remaining game is only going up. Tonight’s game is no different, as the Kings can once again clinch homecourt in their Play-In matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, while the Clippers could leapfrog the Denver Nuggets for the 4th seed, or potentially fall in to the Play-In with another loss or two. The West standings are incredibly tight right now and won’t be decided until the final game.
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: 7:00 PM PT, Friday, April 11th, 2025
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM
For Your Consideration
With the Kings losing on Wednesday to the Nuggets, they are guaranteed to once again not have a winning season, but they still have a shot at a .500 record if they can win their final two games. This has obviously not been the season anyone has expected or hoped for, but there’s still a chance for the Kings to make some noise here thanks to the Play-In Tournament. This will be the second year in a row the Kings have gone to the Play-In, but if they can manage to advance into the actual Playoffs by winning two games, this will technically be a more successful season than last, even with the worse regular season record.
The Clippers are first up on the docket however, and beating them is not going to be an easy task. In fact, it’s something the Kings haven’t managed to do all year, with their last matchup being the closest, only to fall at the end to another classic Kawhi Leonard bouncing buzzer beater. The Clippers are set to be a bit shorthanded tonight as Nicolas Batum, Amir Coffey and Patty Mills are all out, while Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac are both listed as questionable. Zubac being out would be a gamechanger for the Kings, as he’s a big man that has given the Kings trouble in the past. The Clippers don’t really have a great option behind Zubac, with 6’9 Drew Eubanks being the next man up should Zubac be unable to play.
The Clippers have been one of the hottest teams in the league over the past month, going 16-3 since the last time they faced the Kings, with their losses all being in competitive close games. Kawhi Leonard looks relatively fresh and James Harden is still playing at a high level as well. The Clippers defense is among the best in the league thanks to their bevy of long wings. If Keegan Murray continues to be out (currently listed as questionable), it could be a long night for the Kings. Sacramento struggled against Denver’s size without Murray and LaRavia (who is confirmed out for tonight), and the Clippers could look to take similar advantage if the Kings aren’t able to have effective counters.
DeMar DeRozan had a really rough game against the Nuggets dealing with Aaron Gordon, and I presume the Clippers will throw multiple looks at him including Derrick Jones Jr. and Leonard himself, so it could be another night of struggle for DeRozan. DeRozan’s a scorer first and foremost, but I’d like to see him get into more of a facilitator role if his shot isn’t falling like it was against Denver. Too often in that game he pulled up for tough shot after tough shot when it wasn’t his night. Hopefully he has some better luck tonight.
Prediction
Keegan Murray makes a triumphant return and this time blocks Kawhi Leonard at the buzzer to prevent another heartbreaker.
Kings 116, Clippers 115
