Kings Stuck Outside of Top 10 in Week 13 NBA Power Rankings

The Sacramento Kings are on the verge of closing out a five-game road trip that has seen them go 2-2 in the first four, including a difficult overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks due to a G Damian Lillard buzzer-beater three-pointer. As the Kings moved to 23-16 on the season and 5th in the Western Conference, they remained unchanged in this week's NBA.com Power Rankings.

The Kings are ranked 13th according to the NBA's official site. For reference, here is a list of the teams above the Kings:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Boston Celtics
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Milwaukee Bucks
8. Philadelphia 76ers
9. Indiana Pacers
10. Miami Heat
11. Dallas Mavericks
12. New York Knicks
13. Sacramento Kings

The Eastern Conference trip for the Kings easily should have ended in 3 wins instead of only 2, however, the Kings free throw issues continued to plague the team and ultimately gave Damian Lillard a chance to remind the Kings why "Dame Time" is a world-renowned phrase. G Malik Monk missed two free throws in the clutch, followed by G De'Aaron Fox missing 1 of 2 with 5 seconds on the clock to give the points only a two-point lead.

The Kings are last in the NBA in team free-throw percentage this season, and this is not the first time missed free throws have been detrimental to the team. For a team with an offense this electric and clutch, it isn't easy to see them be undermined by something like this, considering the Kings were 13th last season in FT%.

The Kings' outlook for the next week includes games against the Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, and Atlanta Hawks. Three wins could give the Kings enough juice to break the top 10 next week.

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