The last few weeks have not been kind to the Sacramento Kings. They have dropped six of their previous eight games, and instead of getting closer to the eighth seed in the Western Conference (which would mean they only have to win one play-in game instead of two), the tenth-seed Phoenix Suns have been gaining ground on them (1.5 games separate them in the standings). Plus, their schedule isn't getting any easier.
Part of the reason this stretch has been so trying is that their normally healthy All-NBA center, Domantas Sabonis, has been in and out of the lineup.
Sabonis missed six straight games with a hamstring strain, played one full game, and then incurred a right ankle sprain in his second game back.
Last Tuesday, it was announced that Sabonis would be out for at least ten days with his ankle sprain. However, it seems like the iron man may be ahead of schedule.
Sabonis is listed as questionable against the Boston Celtics
On Sunday, the Kings announced that Sabonis will be listed as "questionable" heading into their Monday night clash with the defending champion Boston Celtics. In general, this injury designation means that a player has a roughly 50/50 chance of playing in the game.
Kings say that Domantas Sabonis has been upgraded to questionable for tomorrow’s game against Boston. pic.twitter.com/o9gJ6FS9qi
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) March 23, 2025
Considering that Sabonis has a 50/50 chance of playing in a game six days from an injury update that said he would miss at least ten days, the Kings have to be happy about how the big man is recovering from this ankle injury.
The Kings are going to need all the help they can get. Like we mentioned, they have been in a serious slump lately. On top of that, the Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA. At 52-19, they have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and the third-best record in the league overall (behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers).
The last time these two teams played, the Kings were in a much better place as a team. They were in the middle of a seven game win streak, and their 114-97 victory over the Celtics was the sixth victory in that stretch. The Kings are hoping that they can use a second win against the Celtics to reinvigorate their season ahead of the playoffs.
Sabonis had only missed three games in the past two seasons. However, this year, he has already missed 12 of the Kings' 70 games.