The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament will commence this Friday, November 3. However, Sacramento Kings fans will need to wait a week before their Kings play their first In-Season Tournament game when they welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento is also in West Group C, which consists of the Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Golden State Warriors. Led by De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings will play two games each at home and on the road. For this piece, we'll talk about the key dates, opponents, and bold predictions for the Kings In-Season Tournament.

NBA In-Season Tournament 101

Before we dive into the Kings, here is some information on how the In-Season Tournament will play out.

The Knockout Round of the NBA In-Season Tournament will consist of eight teams. Six of them will be the teams that finished with the best records in each of the three groups in each conference. The wild cards — one team from each conference with the best record in the Group Play games that finished second in their group — will round out the final eight. These Knockout Round games will be single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals, and Championship. The qualifying teams will compete for a prize pool and the right to take home the In-Season Tournament Trophy, the NBA Cup.

The In-Season Tournament is definitely an intriguing attraction that will spark interest among NBA fans during a rather dry part of the regular season. A new tournament, eye-popping courts, fresh-looking jerseys, and an elegant NBA Cup trophy — the In-Season Tournament is something NBA fans can look forward to. The new info may be a lot to take in for Kings fans. But don't worry, ClutchPoints has you covered on everything you need to know — from dates to watch out and opponents — about the Kings In-Season Tournament.

Kings In-Season Tournament Dates, Opponents, and Scouting Report

Oklahoma City Thunder

  • Friday, November 10
  • 10:00 PM EST
  • Golden 1 Center (home)

The Oklahoma City Thunder could be a tough out in the In-Season Tournament. They are one of the most exciting young teams in the West led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Josh Giddey. In many ways, this 2023-24 Thunder squad is a lot like the Kings of last season.

The Kings swept the season series versus Oklahoma City last season and hold a six-game winning streak over the Thunder dating back to the 2021-22 season. But as mentioned, this is a different OKC team that is hungry and looks ready to make the jump and compete in the Western Conference.

San Antonio Spurs

  • Friday, November 17
  • 7:30 PM EST
  • Frost Bank Center (road)

The San Antonio Spurs are the youngest team in the NBA this season. But don't let their inexperience fool you. Victor Wembanyama is obviously the feature attraction in San Antonio, but this team has shown its grit and competitiveness through the early goings of the season. Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns felt that first-hand when San Antonio pulled off an impossible 20-point comeback and won its first game on the road.

The Kings were 3-1 against the Spurs last season. Their only loss came late in the regular season in April, where San Antonio won in overtime thanks. Nonetheless, this year's Spurs is a completely different squad thanks to Wembanyama, who is already proving to be a game-changer in the early goings of his promising career. Despite their youth, they should also be a tough team to deal with in Group Play.

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Friday, November 24
  • 8:00 PM EST
  • Target Center (road)

Anthony Edwards' existence alone should make the Timberwolves a real threat in Group C. Minnesota has had an up-and-down start to its 2023-24 campaign. But they did just beat the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

The Timberwolves also had the Kings' number last season and won the season series 3-1. Sacramento's lone win was 118-111 overtime win in late January, where De'Aaron Fox's 32 points outlasted Edwards' 33-point performance.

Golden State Warriors

  • Tuesday, November 28
  • 10:00 PM EST
  • Golden 1 Center (home)

The NBA knows that the Kings and Warriors are becoming one of the best budding rivalries in the league. It did a good job pitting the two California teams in the same group in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

Golden State does have Sacramento's number dating back to the 2023 NBA Playoffs and into the 2023-24 regular season. The Warriors won their first two encounters over the Kings so far, with the latest being a thriller in San Francisco where Klay Thompson drained the game-winning dagger.

The Kings did give the 2022 NBA champs all they can handle in the postseason and took Stephen Curry and co. to the brink. But the Warriors wound up winning Game 7 on the road thanks to a 50-point masterclass from Curry.

This game being in the final day of the Group Play stage is no coincidence. There is a possibility that both teams enter this game undefeated. If that is the case, this should have the same atmosphere as their epic Game 7 encounter in April.

Kings Bold Prediction for NBA In-Season Tournament

Kings win Group C

Like Group C, Group A also has three teams that made the playoffs last year. However, the Memphis Grizzlies looked absolutely cooked to start the season due to the absence of Ja Morant. With that, Group C has a case of being the most competitive group in the Western Conference.

The Kings, Warriors, and Timberwolves were the three teams that made the postseason in Group C and those three should make the playoffs again this season. But one could also argue that the Thunder are in the running to make the postseason as well. San Antonio could also make some noise and potentially contend for a spot in the Play-In Tournament.

Nonetheless, the Kings have a great chance to win Group C. On paper, they should beat Minnesota, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio.

Golden State is likely their toughest opponent. But they do have the Warriors at home in their In-Season Tournament matchup. Their November 28th encounter is going to have a playoff feel to it and you just know that Kings fans will bring a raucous energy at Golden 1 Center that day. If they take care of business against the teams they should beat and get past the Warriors, they should book an outright spot in the Knockout Round.