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Kings playoff countdown: Sacramento on verge of winning Pacific Division championship

Sacramento is one win away from securing its first Pacific Division championship since 2003.

The Kings can win the Pacific Division banner and clinch no less than the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings (47-30) are third in the West, two games behind the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies and five games ahead of the No. 4 Phoenix Suns. One more win by the Kings or one loss by the Suns will assure Sacramento of the best record in the Pacific Division.

The Kings have already clinched their first playoff berth since 2006 and homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs. They will hit the road for back-to-back road games against the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to Sacramento to face the Golden State Warriors on Friday. They will conclude the regular season on the road against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets on April 9.

Current seed: No. 3

The Kings are third in the West, two games behind the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies and five games ahead of the No. 4 Phoenix Suns. The Kings will clinch the No. 3 seed and the Pacific Division championship with one more win or one more loss by the Suns.

First-round matchup: Golden State Warriors

If the playoffs started today, the Kings would play the No. 6 seed, the Warriors, in the first round, but there’s a chance they will end up facing the Los Angeles Clippers instead. The Warriors and Clippers are tied for fifth with identical 41-37 records. The Clippers currently hold the tiebreaker for the No. 5 seed based on their division record. The Clippers and Warriors are 1 ½ games or more ahead of play-in contenders the New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz. Those six teams are separated by a total of 2 ½ games.

Homecourt advantage: Yes.

The Kings have clinched homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which begin April 15. They will play Game 1 of their first-round series at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The seven-game series will have a 2-2-1-1-1 format with the first two games being played in Sacramento, the next two games being played on the road and alternating sites for the last three games.

Tickets: Are they available?

Tickets for Game 1 of Sacramento’s first-round playoff series haven’t officially gone on sale yet. However, StubHub, a ticket exchange and resale company, has tickets listed for sale with prices ranging from $372 to $5,000. The Kings say purchasing a 2023-24 season ticket membership is the best way to get priority access to home playoff games. The Kings are also offering fans a chance to sign up for presale access through a free subscription to Kings Insider emails.