Domantas Sabonis left the Sacramento Kings' preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a hamstring injury. He'll miss the final preseason game against the Lakers, and possibly the first few games of the regular season. Oddly enough, it could have been so much worse.
Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis sustained a mild hamstring strain and he’ll miss the preseason finale vs. Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, league sources tell me.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 16, 2025
This has not been the preseason the Kings or their fans were dreaming of. So far, they've lost all three games, with their final game coming up tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. That's going to be a tough one since Luka Doncic looks incredible this season.
The Kings' health issues aren't going to make things easier. Keegan Murray will be out for weeks with a UCL tear. Malik Monk has an undisclosed illness that has kept him on the bench for a few days. DeMar DeRozan has groin soreness, but is expected to play. Then, there's Sabonis.
Domantas Sabonis and his hamstring
During the Kings' matchup with the Clippers, Sabonis had to leave the game early. It was rough for fans because they had just watched a similar scene unfold with Keegan Murray a few days earlier. They were expecting similar bad news.
Fortunately, that's not the case. Sabonis has a grade 1 hamstring strain that will prevent him from playing against the Lakers in the preseason finale. The Kings haven't said how long Sabonis will be in recovery, but similar injuries usually take a couple of weeks.
Tyrese Haliburton missed 10 games with a hamstring strain in January of 2024. That postseason, he re-aggravated the injury and missed the Pacers' final 2 playoff games.
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) October 16, 2025
Point being; I think Domantas Sabonis is likely to miss the start of the season. https://t.co/nl3Inhq3y0
In this case, the Kings would be smart to let him rest for at least a couple of weeks. Rushing him back could aggravate the injury, extending his recovery and keeping him on the bench that much longer. Besides, the Kings and Sabonis kind of got lucky on this one.
Sabonis' injury could have been so much worse
As strange as this is to say, this might be a best-case scenario. When Sabonis left the court, there were concerns about everything from a sprained ankle to a blown-out ACL. That injury has taken out a few big-name players over the years.
A grade 1 hamstring strain needs to be taken seriously, but it's relatively benign compared to how bad the injury could have been. If it takes a couple of weeks for Sabonis to get back to form and he misses the first few games of the regular season, he'll still be back before Murray.
Right now, the Kings just need to be happy that Sabonis will be back soon-ish. With Murray out and no timetable for Monk's return, the Kings will need Domantas on the court quickly. The way things are going, LaVine is going to get rabies from a random bat, and they'll need Sabonis even more.