The Sacramento Kings have been dealt a tough blow in their pursuit of a playoff spot. Their key bench player, Malik Monk, has suffered an MLC sprain and is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks.
Monk got injured in the first quarter of Friday night’s 103-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He went up to contest a drive to the rim by Mavs’ star Luka Doncic and feel on the floor with Doncic landing on top of him.
Monk, who joined the Kings in 2022, has been enjoying a career-best campaign in 2023-24. In 72 games played, he averaged 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Whether Monk is out for the season or still ends up returning to action will depend on whether the Kings are successful in their playoff push. In the best-case scenario, he would return midway through the first round in. If he takes longer to recover, then Sacramento would have to make it to the Western Conference Semifinals for Monk to play again before next season.
The Kings are currently sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference with a 42-31 record. They are two games behind the sixth-placed Dallas Mavericks, who hold the final ticket for automatic spot in the playoffs.
