Sacramento struggled to a 2-4 record during the six games as top center missed due to a hamstring strain. Now, the team faces the challenge of continuing without him for potentially several more weeks.
He injured his ankle in the opening minute of the second half while driving to the basket, and had to leave the game. The injury appeared to be serious. There was no immediate update from coach Doug Christie, but Malik Monk provided some insight when speaking with Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “It looked pretty bad. But Domas is strong. He’ll probably be back sooner than we think,” Monk said.
The Kings need Sabonis back soon. So far this season, Sacramento has gone 3-6 in games without him, with a -3.8 net rating when he’s off the court. Currently sitting ninth in the Western Conference, the Kings were hoping to catch the Clippers for the No. 8 seed to make their playoff path easier. While this goal was already a challenge with Sabonis, who is 3.5 games behind Los Angeles with 15 games remaining, it becomes even more difficult without him. Though the Kings are unlikely to drop out of the play-in tournament, they hold a two-game lead over the injury-plagued Mavericks for the 10th spot, with Phoenix three games behind and the Trail Blazers five games back.
Sabonis also has personal incentives to return soon. He’s played only 58 games this season and needs to play at least seven more (averaging 20 minutes per game) to meet the 65-game requirement for postseason awards eligibility. Sabonis is a strong candidate for an All-NBA spot if he qualifies.
This injury wasn’t even Sabonis’ first of the game—he needed stitches for a cut above his left eye after being struck by the back of Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard’s head. Sabonis returned to the game, only to suffer the ankle injury soon after.
