Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton out against Los Angeles Lakers; Buddy Hield questionable
Kings coach Luke Walton said rookie Tyrese Haliburton will not return until after the All-Star break and Buddy Hield’s status is uncertain for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Haliburton is out due to left calf soreness and Hield is questionable with a right ankle sprain as the Kings (13-21) prepare to play the Lakers (24-11) on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
Haliburton has missed the past two games after developing soreness in his calf in a 140-121 loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The first-round draft pick from Iowa State received his second consecutive Western Conference Rookie of the Month award on Tuesday after averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds in February.
Walton said Haliburton will not play against the Lakers on Wednesday or the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
“We’re going to play it safe with him,” Walton said. “We have a lot of basketball left and he is getting much better, but with a back-to-back coming up right before All-Star, it just feels like the right move is to make sure that we have him healthy for the second half of this season.”
Hield was held out of practice Tuesday after going down with an ankle injury in the late stages of a difficult 127-126 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. After the game, Hield insisted he would be ready against the Lakers on Wednesday. Walton said he won’t be surprised if Hield follows through on that promise.
“He did not practice today, but you guys that have been around Buddy, he plays through pretty much everything, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Walton said. “I know sometimes even if you want to play through stuff you can’t, but he’s been pretty solid when it comes to playing through injuries.”
Hield is averaging 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists. In Sunday’s game, he made his 1,000th 3-pointer in his 350th career game, eclipsing Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry as the fastest player in NBA history to reach that milestone.
Hield, the reigning NBA 3-Point Contest champion, will not be in Atlanta to defend his title at the All-Star Game on March 7. Hield said Sunday he had not decided if he would accept an invitation to participate in the event. He was not among the contestants announced on Tuesday.
Chimezie Metu (wrist), Hassan Whiteside (health and safety protocols), Robert Woodard II (hamstring) and Jahmi’us Ramsey (G League) are still out for the Kings. Jabari Parker (health and safety protocols) has been upgraded from out to questionable.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 6:05 PM.
