Last season, there were five teams that did not secure a single win during the Group Play stage of the NBA Cup (then known as the In-Season Tournament). This year, the Sacramento Kings have a chance at earning the same infamous honor. The team is currently 0-3 in Group Play, with their final game coming tonight against the team at the top of their group, the Houston Rockets.
Who will the Kings have available in this game? Who will be healthy for the Rockets? Here is the full injury report ahead of the Kings' final NBA Cup game.
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
Trey Lyles, one of the Kings' most important players off the bench, will continue to be out after suffering a calf strain in the team's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last week. There is a good chance that we won't see him again in 2024.
Devin Carter (shoulder), Isaiah Crawford (ankle), and Mason Jones (hamstring) will all continue to be out for the Kings.
The big name on the injury report is Kevin Huerter. The struggling sharpshooter left Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers early after hurting his ankle. He did not play in Sunday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
However, the good news is that Huerter was a full participant in practice (per reporting from Frankie Cartoscelli). Coming into this game, he carries an injury designation of "questionable," which normally means the player has a 50/50 shot of playing.
Houston Rockets Injury Report
Hopefully, the Kings do have Huerter available to them. Despite his slow start, Huerter is still a useful player, and the Kings will need all the useful players they can get to have a chance against the newly-formidable Rockets. As it stands, the Rockets are 15-6 and second in the Western Conference. They are also 3-0 in Group Play.
A big reason for the Rockets' success in the early part of the season is how healthy they have been able to be. According to Spotrac, they have the second-fewest games missed due to injury (13 games), behind only the Minnesota Timberwolves (seven).
The Rockets will continue this trend of good health against the Kings, as there is currently no one listed on their ESPN injury report page.
After this game, the Kings will travel to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, December 5; the first game of a road back-to-back (the second one will be against the San Antonio Spurs).