What happened?
The NBA schedule released Thursday sets the path for the Sacramento Kings to exceed expectations in 2026-27. The Kings will face the Los Angeles Clippers in their season opener on Oct 21 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood. They will play the Portland Trail Blazers in their home opener on Oct 23 at Golden 1 Center. The schedule features 14 back-to-backs over the course of the season. The Kings were 4-10 last season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The team is rebuilding under general manager Scott Perry after going 22-60 last season. They were decimated by injuries. All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis missed 63 games, Keegan Murray missed 59 games and Zach LaVine missed 43 games. The Kings are leaning into a youth movement with a roster that is significantly younger than it was a year ago, when Sacramento had the fourth-oldest team in the NBA with an average age of 27.3. DeMar DeRozan, 36, was waived in a cost-cutting move. Russell Westbrook, 37, announced his retirement on Wednesday. BetMGM has set the opening over/under for Sacramento’s win total at 21.5, but there’s reason to believe they can exceed expectations with rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. joining a lineup that will feature LaVine, Murray and Sabonis, each of whom should be healthy and highly motivated. The early-season schedule could help as well. The Kings will play five of their first seven games on the road, but in November they will play 11 of 14 at home. They will play their share of tough games, but it doesn’t look as daunting as it did a year ago when the Kings played 11 of their first 18 games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. The Kings will play four games in the group stage of the NBA Cup in-season tournament. They will play host to the Spurs on Nov 6 and Blazers on Nov 13 before visiting the Lakers on Nov 20 and the Golden State Warriors on Nov 25. Last result: Portland Trail Blazers 122-110 Sacramento Kings (2026-04-13). Recent form (last 5): 2W-0D-3L (LLWWL, most recent first); lost the last 2. Ahead of a run of games you can check on our [fixtures](/fixtures) page. The youth movement looks promising ahead of a long campaign.
