The Sacramento Kings snapped a losing streak against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 17 but lost Buddy Hield to an ankle injury in the process.
The Sacramento Kings were riding a three-game losing streak as they returned home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday evening. The home court did Sacramento good as they defeated the Blazers 86-82 on the first of a home-and-home set. It was the Kings best defensive performance of the season, and the change in the starting five led to a healthy performance by the entire team. It was not all good news, though.
Hield injured
Kings second-year guard Buddy Hield injured his ankle in the fourth quarter and had to be helped to the locker room. Jason Jones from the Sacramento Bee reported Hield sprained his ankle and he did not return to the game. To make matters worse, Jones tweeted the following after the game concluded.
Buddy Hield needed crutches to get around postgame. Don't expect to see him playing tomorrow night at Portland.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) November 18, 2017
It is uncertain as of this writing how long Hield will be out, but the Kings will miss his shooting and scoring ability for any length of time.
Who steps up?
Sacramento has a functional group of guards that can fill the void left by Buddy Love. Frank Mason III saw action for only the eighth time this season, and he figures to play more if the Kings continue to employ their dual point guard sets. Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox should see more minutes as a result of the injury as well. Rookie Justin Jackson figures to see a boost in his playing time too. Coach Joerger has been known to throw a curveball or two so stay tuned as we monitor this fluid situation.
Final thoughts
The Sacramento Kings earned their fourth win of the season on Nov. 17, but they lost a key rotation piece in Buddy Hield to an ankle injury. Do not be surprised to see Hield miss a few weeks of action as the injury did not look good. Stay tuned for further updates.
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