SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It's the final day of the NBA’s regular season, and Sacramento Kings fans have a reason to smile. The team defeated the Portland Trailblazers 121 to 82 at the Golden1 Center Sunday.
"It's the biggest game of the year,” said Stockton resident and longtime Kings fan Jordan Caleuya. “This season was way different than last season.”
Before noon, it was a trickle of excitement in the Downtown Commons (DOCO), until El Dorado County resident LeeAnn Story showed up closer to tip off at 12:30 p.m.
“I love coming here to G1C,” said Story. “It’s the energy, the energy that’s on fire.”
That electric energy is what struck Anthony Harris, bringing him from Manteca to the Capitol City for his first NBA game.
“You see a lot of it on the news, you see the hype about it so I wanted to come and experience it for myself so my wife surprised me with some tickets,” said Harris. “I'm hoping that they, you know, really bring it tonight."
It was the first game for the Manteca couple, but it was nothing new for season ticket holder Rick Elliot who showed up hours early to see his favorite team and pass along a message.
"Don't lose faith baby,” said Elliot, a lifelong Kings fan. “We got the purple beam and we are going to light it."
That result-- more purple shooting into the sky-- is what lifelong fans like Joey Oh need.
"It's been a tough western conference. I think Kings did get better, but everyone else got better as well,” said Oh. “I think we could've definitely been in the fourth, fifth seed, if not, better but we lost some easy win games."
But those losses are in the past now and it’s full steam ahead for fans.
"I came to the game with my dad and my uncles and my aunts and my brother,” said Kings fan Jose Perez. "I think it's a great place to come here as a whole, as a community to celebrate and have fun."
Lifelong fans like Jordan Caleuya are now ready to make more memories as the Kings head to the play-in game Tuesday with a chance at making playoffs again, just one game away
"I mean, we've been dealing with the Kings not going to the playoffs for so many years. Being in this situation right now, we've got to be grateful and for the team being here,” said Caleuya. “So yeah, go Kings.”
Watch more from ABC10: Sacramento Kings legend Chris Webber visits city, promotes new memoir
