Kings upgrade rookie Tyrese Haliburton’s status for Wednesday’s game against Chicago Bulls
Kings rookie first-round draft pick Tyrese Haliburton could be nearing a return after injuring his wrist in a game against the Houston Rockets last week.
The Kings (3-4) listed Haliburton as questionable on the official injury report for Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls (3-4) at Golden 1 Center. Haliburton missed the past two games with a bone bruise in his left wrist.
Haliburton sustained the injury when he took a nasty fall on a dunk attempt in a 122-119 loss to the Houston Rockets on New Year’s Eve. He put his left hand down to brace his fall before taking the brunt of the impact on his right side.
Haliburton initially appeared to be favoring his right wrist, but he remained in the game. The following day, after pain and stiffness set in, an MRI revealed a bone bruise in the left wrist, the same wrist Haliburton broke as a sophomore at Iowa State last season.
The Kings selected Haliburton with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Over his first five games, he averaged 10.6 points, 4.4 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal while shooting 52.9% from the field and 50% from 3-point range, garnering early attention as a Rookie of the Year candidate.
The Kings went 3-1 to start the season, but they struggled without Haliburton in losses to the Rockets and Golden State Warriors. Kings coach Luke Walton said Haliburton participated in shooting drills before Monday’s game against the Warriors.
“He’s feeling better,” Walton said. “He got shots up before the game, which was the first time he did that. When we get back into Sac, he’ll get reevaluated and we’ll get a much clearer idea of when he’ll be able to rejoin the team, but as of now we were happy to see him get out on the court and be able to get some shots up tonight.”
Upcoming Kings schedule
Jan. 6 vs. Chicago Bulls, 7 p.m.
Jan. 8 vs. Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m.
Jan. 9 vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 7 p.m.
Jan. 11 vs. Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m.
Jan. 13 vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 5:59 PM.
