Kings rule Tyrese Haliburton out for showdown with LaMelo Ball in Rookie of the Year race
Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton will not be in uniform when the Kings play the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday at Golden 1 Center, postponing a much-anticipated matchup with LaMelo Ball in the NBA Rookie of the Year race.
Haliburton will miss his second game in a row due to left calf soreness after being ruled out on the team’s injury report Saturday. The rookie sensation from Iowa State was held out of Friday’s 110-107 victory over the Detroit Pistons after he began to experience soreness in the third quarter of Thursday’s 140-121 loss to the New York Knicks.
The Kings (13-20) will miss Haliburton’s services against the Hornets (15-17), who had won five of their last eight games before suffering a 130-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday. Kings coach Luke Walton addressed Haliburton’s injury Friday, saying his status would be determined when the team returned to Sacramento on Saturday following a five-game road trip.
“It’s been a grueling schedule and he plays a lot,” Walton said. “A lot of our guys are banged up, but being a young player, we have to make sure we have him moving forward, so we’ll reevaluate him when we get to Sacramento tomorrow.”
Ball and Haliburton have established themselves as leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award as the All-Star break approaches. Their next opportunity to face each other will come March 15 when the Kings visit the Hornets.
Ball, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is averaging 15.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals. He is shooting 43.7% from the field and 35.1% from 3-point range.
Haliburton, the No. 12 pick in the draft, is averaging 13.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals. He is shooting 49.4% from the field and an impressive 43.3% from 3-point range.
Ball has a slight edge in terms of per-game averages, but many analysts note Haliburton has been far more efficient. In addition to superior shooting percentages, Haliburton has tallied 161 assists with only 46 turnovers while Ball has 196 assists with 89 turnovers.
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 28 vs. Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.
March 3 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
March 4 at Portland Trail Blazers, 7 p.m.
March 11 vs. Houston Rockets, 7 p.m.
March 13 at Atlanta Hawks, 4:30 p.m.
