The Sacramento Kings had a lot to prove this past week and plenty of opportunity to do so. They had two games scheduled against the Dallas Mavericks, who they were battling with for position in the Western Conference playoff race. But in losing both contests, the Kings now appear to be destined for the Play-In Tournament barring a drastic turnaround, and their injury situation certainly won’t help.
Kings Could Be Without Malik Monk For Extended Period
Kings guard Malik Monk is feared to have suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee and will undergo further testing, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Arguably the NBA’s best Sixth Man has averaged nearly 16 points and five assists a night. pic.twitter.com/J6KllcYz4W
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 30, 2024
Sacramento has been without some key pieces for their last few games. Reserve power forward Trey Lyles has been out since March 12th, and starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter was injured a few days later, eventually being ruled out for the season due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder. But the bad news continued to roll in on Friday, as the team may have suffered two different types of losses on the night.
The Mavericks were able to take care of business in both games against the Kings this week, but Sacramento had to play most of the second contest without one of their biggest contributors. Malik Monk, who has appeared to be on a fast track to win the NBA’s 6th Man of the Year Award, had his leg and knee fallen on to by Luka Dončić early in the first quarter of Friday’s game. Monk was taken back to the locker room with a clear limp, and reports are that the team fears a sprained MCL.
Monk May Have Played His Final Game In Sacramento
Malik Monk went to the Kings’ locker room after this collision with Luka Dončić
Praying he is okay 🙏pic.twitter.com/MMdz0FZLlJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 30, 2024
We are still awaiting the official diagnosis, which will give us a clearer picture of Monk’s immediate future, but there is a real possibility that we have seen the last of him in Sacramento. The 7th year player is set to become a free agent at the end of this season, and other teams will be able to offer him more money than the Kings will. There is a chance that he searches for greener pastures (and bigger money bags) this coming off-season, meaning that he may have played his last game in a Sacramento uniform, depending on his injury status and how far the Kings advance this year.
The Kings will try to rebound from the two straight losses by taking on the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon.
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