SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It was a painful Friday night for the Sacramento Kings. In the first half of their back-to-back 107-103 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Dončić fell after a drive and fell on Malik Monk’s right knee. Monk left the game and did not return. There are concerns he suffered a sprained MCL, league sources said. Athleticism.
Monk was in the locker room after the match in good spirits but in obvious pain. He left the arena without crutches but with a noticeable limp. He will undergo additional testing to better determine the severity and timing of a planned absence.
It’s just the latest blow to an already dwindling Kings rotation. Starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a labral tear earlier this month. Trey Lyles, a key piece off the bench, has missed the last few weeks with a sprained MCL.
Malik Monk went to the Kings locker room after this collision with Luka Dončić pic.twitter.com/24JzYM4bk5
– Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 30, 2024
But Monk’s absence could be hit the hardest. He has been the most productive bench player in the league this season, leading all NBA reserves in points and assists. He is the Kings’ third-best point guard and often their leading scorer, closing out most nights.
Without him, second-year guard Keon Ellis will continue to see his minutes and responsibilities increase. He started for Huerter and moved closer to the Mavericks on Friday night.
Davion Mitchell and Kessler Edwards also saw an uptick in minutes with Monk out. Chris Duarte is another possible replacement. The same goes for Sasha Vezenkov, who looks set to return from his own ankle injury.
Without Monk, the Kings still had an excellent chance to beat the Mavericks on Friday. They led by double digits in the second half, but gave up a fourth quarter 34-21 to deliver a victory. They missed Monk’s creation in the final minutes.
The Kings could have moved up to sixth in the Western Conference with a victory. This would have tied them with the Mavericks in the standings and given them the tiebreaker. But they instead fell to eighth place, a half-game behind the Phoenix Suns and two games behind a Mavericks team with the tiebreaker still up in the air. They are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, but swept them 4-0 for the tiebreaker.
Sacramento plays at home again Sunday and Tuesday against the Utah Jazz and the LA Clippers before a difficult trip to the East.
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(Photo: Sergio Estrada / USA Today)