When the Sacramento Kings got dismantled by the Golden State Warriors to start their post-All-Star break schedule, it seemed like you could put a fork in the 2024-25 iteration of this team.
Their marquee deadline addition, Zach LaVine, looked nothing like the player they had traded for, and the team as a whole has looked horribly mediocre.
However, since then, things have completely turned around. LaVine is playing some of the best basketball of his career, and the team has won four straight games. Now, the team gets ready to try and extend their streak to five against their big brother.
But who will the Kings have available to them in tonight's game? What about the Denver Nuggets? Here is the full injury report ahead of this conference showdown.
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
Fortunately, injuries have played a relatively minor role in the Kings' season. However, tonight may be a different story, as two of their best players are listed on the report.
Domantas Sabonis is listed on the injury report as "out" after leaving Saturday's game against the Houston Rockets early after straining his hamstring. Sabonis did not return, and an MRI revealed after the fact that Sabonis suffered a grade 1 strain. At the time of the announcement, the team said he would miss at least a week. So, he will be missing for at least a few more games.
The other big name on the injury report is Malik Monk. He is listed as questionable with a toe sprain. Monk went to the locker room in the middle of the Kings' Monday win against the Dallas Mavericks, but he eventually returned to action. Typically, a questionable designation gives a player a roughly 50/50 chance of playing.
Outside of those two, Mason Jones and Isaiah Crawford will not be available for this game due to their G-League obligations.
Dallas Mavericks Injury Report
The Nuggets have four players who will definitely be out for this game. We will not see Trey Alexander (two-way), PJ Hall (two-way), DaRon Holmes II (achilles), and Julian Strawther (knee).
The Nuggets injury report is also littered with a lot of mystery. As it stands, four players (including their three-time MVP) are listed as questionable. Those players are Nikola Jokic (ankle), Aaron Gordon (ankle), Vlatko Cancar (knee), and Zeke Nnaji (ankle).
Of course, the big name to watch here will be Jokic. Sabonis has had some success defending him in the past, but, of course, we won't have him for this game. So, it would be nice from our point of view to not have to deal with Jokic tonight.
After this game, the Kings will return home to host the San Antonio Spurs in what will be De'Aaron Fox's first game back in Sacramento since the trade.