6:57pm: Sabonis has a bruised left knee and will be reevaluated when the Kings return from their upcoming five-game trip, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Imaging shows no structural damage but the Kings will only have four games left after the re-evaluation on April 2.
12:53pm: The Kings are awaiting the results of an MRI on Domantas Sabonis‘ knee after the big man left Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter due to an injury, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Sabonis hit the floor following a collision with Suns forward Mikal Bridges, clutching his left knee in “obvious pain,” writes Anderson (video link). Sabonis was able to walk to the bench under his own power and stayed in the game for another 28 seconds, but headed to the locker room at the next stoppage and didn’t return.
Head coach Alvin Gentry, who confirmed that Sabonis would undergo an MRI, told reporters there would be an update on Monday or Tuesday, adding that the Kings would have to “wait and see” whether the injury is anything serious.
“We don’t know anything other than that,” Gentry said. “But, obviously, he’s a key to what we’re doing, and, if nothing else, we’re trying to have growth with the chemistry and everything on this team and learning to play with each other, so obviously when he goes down like that, there’s always concern.”
Even if the injury turns out to be a minor one, the Kings likely won’t be in a rush to get Sabonis back on the court. The team is six games out of a play-in spot with just nine games remaining on its schedule, so a lottery finish is a near certainty. The priority would be making sure Sabonis – Sacramento’s big in-season acquisition – is 100% healthy for next season.
The Kings announced last week that Richaun Holmes will be out for the rest of the season for personal reasons, so if Sabonis has to miss time too, the club will be without its top two centers. That would result in more playing time for Chimezie Metu, Damian Jones, and possibly Alex Len down the stretch.