The Sacramento Kings are already sputtering as the regular season winds down, and it may have gotten only worse with recent injury news. The Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis due to an ankle injury for a while, and considering all that Sabonis does for the Kings, his injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. Sabonis’s injury puts Sacramento in a tough spot as they are currently holding the ninth seed in the West. The Dallas Mavericks are right behind them, though, and the Phoenix Suns are right behind Dallas. The Kings cannot afford to further their losing ways, and they have been losing many games lately.
Kings Lose Rebounding Leader To Injury At the Worst Time
Sacramento Kings’ Domantis Sabonis Injury Puts Season In Jeopardy
Sabonis’s injury is to his right ankle–a moderate right ankle sprain—according to James Ham of The Kings Beat. Sabonis had an MRI on Tuesday, and according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and confirmed by Sacramento, the initial timeline for Sabonis’s return could be Saturday, March 29. The absence would ice Sabonis for at least 10 days when he will be reevaluated. The injury came in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies earlier in the week. Sabonis had recently returned from another injury that kept him out of six games due to a strained hamstring. Monday’s game against Memphis was just his second game back. With Sabonis out, Jonas Valančiūnas will slide in to cover and likely start again until Sabonis returns.
Sabonis’s injury also might impact his awards eligibility. The All-NBA could come calling, provided he ends the season playing the minimum 65 games players have to reach to win awards or be selected for All-NBA teams. Sabonis has been an All-NBA candidate for much of the season, but his ankle injury could hinder that. He’s averaging 19.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. He’s also a league leader in double-doubles and the sole leader in rebounds.
Play-In Seeding On the Line
The Kings are already in the middle of a tough stretch that has seen them go 5-5 in their last 10 games. After Doug Christie took over head coaching duties, the Kings went on a run that brought them from outside playoff positioning to inside. However, over the last few weeks, they have fallen back and could end up outside the play-in. The Mavericks haven’t thrown in the towel on the season, either, so that’s one team Sacramento has to worry about. As for Phoenix, they’re not playing good basketball either, but if the Kings fall in the absence of Sabonis, the Suns still have a chance to secure a play-in spot. Suffice it to say, Sabonis’s injury doesn’t help the Kings chances in the coming weeks.
© Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
The post Kings Lose Rebounding Leader To Injury At the Worst Time appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.