The Sacramento Kings' losing streak starts again, falling to 1-8 for the sixth time in franchise history after a 124-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
Their first 1-8 start was in 1958-59 when they were the Cincinnati Royals. Sacramento's last 1-8 start was in 2017-18, the year De'Aaron Fox went fifth overall.
Losing is normal for a franchise that has tanked more seasons than it has attempted to compete. What follows isn't when the next win will be; it's how many wins the team will have at the season's end.
ESPN predicted the Kings to finish 19-63, three fewer wins than last season. They have too much talent to win 18 more games.
Darius Acuff Jr. is on a historic scoring stretch for a rookie; Domantas Sabonis is having a career year rebounding and Zach LaVine is averaging an efficient 22.1 points per game.
History suggests Sacramento should finish with 25 or more wins. Its win average in its past five 1-8 starts is 25.8, with a low of 18 in 1958-59 and a high of 31 in 1984-85.
Star power from the Acuff-Sabonis-LaVine trio isn't enough to win games. Coach Doug Christie needs all hands on deck, and when he did, the Kings won their first game against the Dallas Mavericks on...