Tonight, the Sacramento Kings (8-6) square off against the Atlanta Hawks (6-8), whom they have already beaten once this year. Unfortunately, the Kings team that beat the Hawks 123-115 on Friday, November 1, may not be the one they will have with them in this contest.
Who is missing for the Kings? Who will the Hawks be missing? In this post, we provide the full injury report for tonight's game.
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
Three of the Kings' five best players are listed on the team's injury report on ESPN. Those players are Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk.
It should come as no surprise that Monk will continue to be out as he nurses the ankle sprain that is expected to keep him out for the next few weeks.
Coincidentally enough, Sabonis and DeRozan (both notorious iron men) are dealing with back issues. These issues have cost DeRozan his last two games and Sabonis Saturday's game against the Utah Jazz.
DeRozan is listed as out. So, he will for sure not be playing in tonight's game. Meanwhile, Sabonis has been labeled with the doubtful designation, meaning that he has about a 25% chance of playing (which is not great).
The good news is that the Kings won the aforementioned Jazz game without this trio. However, it took a herculean effort from De'Aaron Fox, who scored 49 points one night after dropping 60 on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Outside of those three, the Kings will continue to be without their 2024 lottery pick Devin Carter, who is still rehabbing from the shoulder surgery he had this offseason.
Atlanta Hawks
The Kings have had some rough injury luck of late, but it is nothing compared to what the Atlanta Hawks have been dealing with. According to Spotrac, the Hawks have had a total of 70 games missed due to injuries. The only team with a higher number in that area is the Memphis Grizzlies (74). This has been a big reason for their slow start (and why they may be better than their record suggests).
Tonight will be no different, as the Hawks have five players listed on their injury report – all of whom will be out for this game. That list of players includes Kobe Bufkin (shoulder), De'Andre Hunter (knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), Seth Lundy (right ankle), and Cody Zeller (personal reasons). Still, the Hawks will have their preferred starting lineup of Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela.
User note: Despite all being listed as out in ESPN's injury report the morning of the game, Kobe Bufkin, De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic all ended up returning to the lineup against the Kings.
After this, the Kings' will get a three day break before they play their second NBA Cup game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, November 22.