- The Kings tweet that they have assigned rookie power forward Wenyen Gabriel to their Stockton G League affiliate. Gabriel has played in seven games for Sacramento this year.
The Kings had been anticipating that De’Aaron Fox would return to the lineup tonight against the Hornets and the point guard tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee he will do just that.
Fox missed the past 17 games with a left ankle injury and the team went 9-8 during that stretch. The Kings have hopes of making the postseason and they currently are sole owners of the seventh seed in the Western Conference, though six teams are within 2.5 games of them.
Fox is expected to start at the point guard, sending Cory Joseph to the bench. Joseph recently spoke about the former No. 5 pick returning to the court for the franchise.
“He’s a huge part of our organization, everybody knows that, so we’re happy to get him back,” Joseph said. “He looks good. He’s running good. So we’re excited. He’s huge to what we do here.”
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Pacers have assigned JaKarr Sampson, Alize Johnson and Edmond Sumner to their G League affiliate, the team announced on Twitter. All three players are available for the Mad Ants’ contest tonight.
- The Celtics have recalled Romeo Langford from the Maine Red Claws, as the team relays on Twitter. Langford was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
- The Wolves have recalled Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Krawczynski notes that Reid looked quick and explosive during Minnesota’s practice earlier today.
- The Kings have assigned Caleb Swanigan to the Stockton Kings, per Sacramento’s Twitter feed. The power forward has appeared in five NBA contests this season, seeing a total of 13 minutes.
As the Kings continue to battle for a playoff spot, they’ll get a boost on Tuesday, according to James Ham of NBC Sports California, who writes that point guard De’Aaron Fox is expected to return to Sacramento’s lineup.
Kings head coach Luke Walton confirmed to Ham that the plan is for Fox to suit up and play against the Hornets in Charlotte on Tuesday, barring a setback. It will be his first game since November 11.
Fox, who has missed Sacramento’s last 17 games with a left ankle injury, has made positive strides this month. The Kings announced on December 2 that the former No. 5 overall pick would be re-evaluated in about two or three weeks — two weeks later, he appears ready to roll.
When Marvin Bagley III recently returned from a hand injury for the Kings, he transitioned to a bench role, but that almost certainly won’t be the case for Fox. He figures to supplant Cory Joseph in the starting five, with Joseph returning to a backup role and Yogi Ferrell possibly falling out of the rotation. For his part, Joseph tells Ham that he’s excited to get Fox back in the lineup.
“He’s a huge part of our organization, everybody knows that, so we’re happy to get him back,” Joseph said. “He looks good. He’s running good. So we’re excited. He’s huge to what we do here.”
Sacramento currently owns a modest 12-14 record, but that’s good enough for the seventh seed in the Western Conference. The Kings and their newly-healthy point guard will look to hold off the Thunder (11-14), Suns (11-14), Spurs (10-15), Timberwolves (10-15), and Trail Blazers (10-16) in the postseason race going forward.
Kings star guard De’Aaron Fox has been out since November 11 due to a Grade 3 left ankle sprain but he’s hopeful of returning next week, as he told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “I have more range of motion now than I did before I got hurt,” he said. “My left ankle has just never had that much range of motion, but since we’ve been pounding it hard and going at it so hard, it’s been a lot better than before I got hurt.”
We have more injury updates:
- Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma hopes to return from a left ankle sprain sometime during the team’s current trip, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. The injury is unrelated to the stress reaction he suffered this summer, McMenamin adds. Kuzma suffered the injury on Sunday and has missed the last two games.
- Pelicans power forward Derrick Favors, a potential trade candidate, had eight points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes against Philadelphia on Friday. He had not played since November 16 due to knee and back injuries and personal issues.
- Rockets guard Eric Gordon has begun on-court running, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Gordon underwent knee surgery on November 13 with a projected six-week timetable. A return around Christmas remains in play, according to Feigen, though the plan is to gradually increase his workload and ease off as necessary.
- Magic center Nikola Vucevic could return on Sunday, John Denton of the team’s website relays. He missed his 11th consecutive game on Friday against Houston due to a right ankle injury. “I think he’s feeling better and hopefully he’ll be able to get through a practice (on Saturday) and still feel good,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “I think there’s a good chance he’ll play on Sunday.”
- The Kings have recalled power forward Wenyen Gabriel from their Stockton affiliate, according to the team’s Twitter. The rookie has played in seven NBA games thus far.
- Kings point guard Cory Joseph, starting in Sacramento with De’Aaron Fox still injured, has been adding some bite to Sacramento’s defense, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic… and Joseph’s teammate Harrison Barnes. Barnes said to reporters in the Sacramento locker room on Monday night that he thinks Joseph is deserving of Second-Team All-Defensive honors for his work this season. Fox, meanwhile, is projecting a return to game action in a week and a half, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter).
Marvin Bagley III is ready to return to action for the Kings, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, who writes that the big man is listed as probable for Sacramento’s Wednesday night game vs. Oklahoma City.
Bagley, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft, has been sidelined since opening night as a result of a broken right thumb suffered in the Kings’ first game of the season. The club initially estimated that Bagley would be out for four to six weeks, but his absence extended to seven weeks and 22 games.
When the Kings opened the season, Bagley and Dewayne Dedmon were the starters in the frontcourt. Richaun Holmes and Nemanja Bjelica have taken over those roles in recent weeks. As James Ham of NBC Sports California observes, it’s unclear how exactly Bagley will fit back into the rotation now that he’s healthy, since Holmes has been one of the team’s best players and Bjelica has been on fire as of late, averaging 17.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 3.4 APG on .515/.448/1.000 shooting in his last five games.
Bagley is one of the Kings’ key building blocks, so the club will certainly find minutes for him. Still, he’ll be brought along slowly and head coach Luke Walton will likely try to stick with the Bagley/Bjelica pairing in certain lineups.
De’Aaron Fox (ankle) remains on the shelf for the Kings and is expected to be re-evaluated within the next week or two.
Carmelo Anthony suited up against the Knicks for the first time as a member of the Trail Blazers tonight and Marcus Morris was excited for the event.
“Man, I enjoy going against ‘Melo,” Morris said prior to the game (via Steve Popper of Newsday). “Growing up he always was my favorite player. Even when I came into the draft, I was like, yeah, I’m going to be like ‘Melo. You know what I’m saying? Over the years it’s been really good to go against him. I watched a lot of film on him.
“’Melo’s been one of the best scorers in this league for a long time. He’s still doing it. I’m very happy for him, very impressed that he could come from not playing for a while and make a great impact like he has.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- In the same piece, Morris spoke about how he couldn’t understand how Anthony went so long without a team. “That’s not disrespecting nobody, but there’s guys in this league that can’t really tie ‘Melo’s shoes — now. So for sure, he should have been in the league. But it always comes full circle and he’s a real one. I always say the real never lose, so he’s back and he’s doing what he did.”
- Pistons draft-and-stash prospect Deividas Sirvydis is impressing overseas, as international journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. Sirvydis, the No. 37 overall pick in the 2019 draft, has yet to sign his first NBA contract as he continues to play in Lithuania for now.
- Everything is coming together for Richaun Holmes in Sacramento, Jordan Ramirez of NBA.com writes. Holmes, who signed with the Kings this offseason, began the season on the bench but his strong play has made him one of the team’s most reliable players in the starting rotation.
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Hornets recalled Cody Martin from the Greensboro Swarm, the team announced. The move concluded Martin’s fifth stint in the G League this season.
- The Rockets have sent Isaiah Hartenstein down to the G League, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston relays (Twitter link). The big man has appeared in eight games for Houston this season.
- The Kings have assigned Wenyen Gabriel to the Stockton Kings, the team announced on its Twitter feed. The power forward has seen action in seven games for Sacramento this season.
- The Magic have sent Melvin Frazier Jr. and Amile Jefferson to the G League, the team’s Twitter feed reveals. Frazier and Jefferson suited up for the Lakeland Magic earlier tonight.