The Kings' biggest mission this season was to go from a good to great team while building upon last year's newfound success.
While there have been bumps along that road 54 games into the 2023-24 NBA season, the pathway to Western Conference supremacy doesn't get any easier with the final stretch of the season underway.
Sacramento (31-23) currently sits in eighth place in the tight Western Conference, and its remaining 28 regular-season games are the eighth-most difficult schedule among all 30 teams in the league, per Tankathon.
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The Kings' toughest remaining opponents are the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers (twice), Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Over the next eight weeks, the Kings will play a top six-seeded team -- East or West -- 12 times and a top-three team seven times. They will face each conference's current top dogs, the Timberwolves and Celtics, on the road in what are expected to be two very hostile environments.
Sacramento currently is 1.5 games behind the sixth and final playoff spot, which is owned by the 33-22 New Orleans Pelicans, and a half game behind the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks.
The Kings play the Mavericks twice on March 26 and March 29 -- both at home -- in matchups that could play a vital role in the standings. They also host the Pelicans in their third-to-last game on April 11.
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Additionally, eight games will come across current non-playoff (Nos. 1-6 seed) or play-in (Nos. 7-10 seed) teams, as they face the San Antonio Spurs (15th in West) twice, Houston Rockets (12th in West), Memphis Grizzlies (13th in West), Toronto Raptors (12th in East), Washington Wizards (14th in East), Brooklyn Nets (11th in East) and Portland Trail Blazers (14th in West).
While it'd be ideal for Sacramento to come out on top and go 8-0 in those games, that hasn't been the reality for this Kings team this season. But their notorious ways must be a thing of the past if they want to increase their chances of securing a spot in the playoffs.
In early to mid-March, the Kings will have a six-game homestand where they'll welcome the Spurs, Rockets, Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers on a back-to-back, New York Knicks and Grizzlies to Golden 1 Center. They should win at least three of those games, but of course one or two more wins would be ideal.
As of now, Sacramento is 15-9 on its home floor and 16-14 away from it.
With Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox leading the way for the Kings, they'll need the continued dominance from their star duo along with their reliable depth to string together a strong showing down the final stretch of the regular season.
There isn't any time for excuses or room for pitiful losses. The road to greatness continues Thursday at home against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. The game can set the tone for the rest of the final stretch.
It won't be easy, but the Kings surely have what it takes.