There’s nothing better after a long weekend of being cooped up in the house getting together your list of list honey-do chore for the upcoming spring, than heading back to work an hour early on Monday and spending the last hour of work trying to see what the Kings are doing in the opening moments of their game because their game happens to be on the East Coast. Yes, if you’re pulling that 9 to 5 you’ll have the privilege of listening to Gary Gerould on the commute home tonight if you want to keep track of Monday night’s match-up against the Wizards, and if you’re a fan still clinging to the hope of a playoff berth, this game is a trap game that the Kings must absolutely avoid. John Wall is out forever, Dwight Howard hasn’t returned from injury, the once and future King Otto Porter was shipped off to frigid Chicago so that Ernie Grunfeld can resign an 93 year old Trevor Ariza.

If the Kings lose this one, close the book on this season, cinch a belt around it, swing it over your head like mighty David himself and let it loose into the goddamn sun. Let’s talk Kings basketball.

When: Monday, March 11th, 4pm PST

Where: Capital One Center, Washington D.C.

TV: NBCSCA

Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM

For Your Consideration

Another Brick in the Wall: The Wizards are not a good team. Let’s get this out of the way; they’re bad. They were low key bad when John Wall was healthy-adjacent this season and now that he’s out for a year plus with his injuries, the Wizards are going to be one of the worst teams in the league in his absence. Getting into some numbers here, the Wizards give up more points than 28 other teams in the NBA at over 117 points a game. Opponents also shoot nearly 37% from long range against the Wiz when they play, they’re the sixth worst three point shooting team in the NBA at 34% a game, they’re the third worst rebounding team, I’m cherry-picking at stats here but other than being a good scoring team while playing at an elevated pace, the Wizards just aren’t good.

All that being said, the Kings can absolutely lose this game tonight and in doing so pretty much wrap up their spot in the ninth seed in the NBA. Frustrating as that is now to hear, it’s a massive and overwhelming success on the season, where many talking heads and Kings bloggers who haven’t watched Lady Bird expected them to give up a top-3 draft pick in the coming off-season. As the season has wore on, the trend of the Kings executing to the level of their opponents has come more and more into play and if they let the Wizards pull them into the mud or allow Bradley Beal plus a random cast member to go off, the Kings post season wishes go out the door. They’ve got to win every game that they’re expected to and then win some that they aren’t. Believe it or not, the Kings are expected to win this game.

Hold on tight.

Prediction

Buddy Hield beats up on his younger SG counterpart, Bradley Beal, De’Aaron Fox cooks Tomas Satoransky all night and Harry Giles shows himself to be the best big man on the floor tonight.

Kings: 124, Wizards 119