Monk injury puts Kings in unfamiliar territory amid playoff push

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Monk injury puts Kings in unfamiliar territory amid playoff push originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – During the most important stretch of the 2023-24 NBA season, the Kings are experiencing something they haven’t gone through as a team.

When Malik Monk went down with a reported MCL sprain after Luka Dončić fell on his right leg in Friday’s 107-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Kings coach Mike Brown turned to his bench with an important decision to make.

Chris Duarte was the answer. At least for the time being.

That decision will continue to be one Brown has to make with the status of Sacramento’s reliable sixth man unknown for the final nine games of the regular season.

Monk is the second two-guard Sacramento has lost to injury recently. Kings sharpshooter Kevin Huerter will undergo season-ending left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, per his agent, after sustaining the injury during the first quarter of Sacramento’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies on March 18.

Before Friday’s game, Brown said Huerter is “definitely going to be missed” while acknowledging and enforcing the team’s “next man up” mentality.

About two hours later, Monk’s injury occurred.

“It’s unfortunate,” Kings veteran forward Harrison Barnes said postgame. “Obviously we’re still trying to figure out the severity of it, but that’s part of the business. Last year, we were extremely healthy and we didn’t have to worry about that as much. This year, we’ve been a little bit injury-plagued and toward the end of the season more than usual.

“So it’s just next-man-up mentality, and I thought Kessler [Edwards] came in and provided us with some good minutes tonight. We’ll need more of that moving forward.”

“It’s next-man-up mentality, and I thought Kessler came in and provided us with some good minutes tonight.”

HB on losing Malik to a first-quarter injury pic.twitter.com/DXB5sb7DgO

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 30, 2024

It was a totally different story for the Kings last season, who were mostly healthy for a majority of the campaign. Their starting five played more minutes together…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/monk-injury-puts-kings-unfamiliar-063600180.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-03-30 06:36:00

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