The Sacramento Kings are off to their best start in years. Through the team’s first 31 games, the Kings are 17-14 and are in sixth place in the NBA Western Conference, just 3.5 games back of the first-place Denver Nuggets. But the work to get back to the playoffs might have gotten a bit more difficult.
On Monday, Sacramento learned one of its star players suffered a major injury. Two-time NBA All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis suffered a fractured ligament in his thumb.
The news on Sabonis’ injury was reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Mark Jones of ESPN tweeted the team’s release on the injury.
The team said, “Today the Sacramento Kings announced that center Domantas Sabonis sustained an avulsion fracture of the ulnar collateral ligament of the right thumb during Friday’s game versus the Wizards. The injury was confirmed through extensive consultation with Kings team physicians and outside specialists. Sabonis will be listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game against Denver.”
Domantas Sabonis Update : pic.twitter.com/OmRMyLpXoB
— MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) December 27, 2022
Sabonis leads the team in assists and rebounds per game with 6.7 and 12.5, respectively. He’s also second behind star De’Aaron Fox in points per game with 17.9 in 33.6 minutes per game. Sabonis also leads the team in FG% at 61.2 percent.
So, suffice it to say, he’s been a major contributor. He will try to give it a go against Denver but given the injury, he could be majorly affected.
This is absolutely a tough blow for the Kings and their fans. The team will have to navigate these tough waters while they seek their first playoff berth since the 2005-06 season.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022