Kings forward Marvin Bagley III cleared for full-contact basketball activities
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III could be back in the lineup any day now.
The Kings announced Bagley was cleared to resume full-contact basketball activities following his six-week evaluation with the team’s medical staff Thursday. The team said Bagley will be listed as day-to-day and his return to game action “will be updated as appropriate.”
Bagley will join the Kings (8-12) on the road in Texas. He is listed as doubtful for Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs (8-14). The Kings will visit the Dallas Mavericks (15-6) on Sunday and the Houston Rockets (13-7) on Monday before coming home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (8-12) on Dec. 11.
Bagley has missed 19 games with a non-displaced fracture of his right thumb. He was injured in the final minutes of Sacramento’s season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Bagley, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in a backup role as a rookie last season. He was selected for the Rising Stars game at NBA All-Star Weekend and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Bagley’s return will require coach Luke Walton to make some difficult lineup and rotation decisions, but his energy should provide a spark for a Kings team that has been shorthanded for weeks. Point guard De’Aaron Fox has been out since suffering a grade-3 ankle sprain at practice Nov. 11. Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic missed Wednesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a right knee contusion.
Bogdanovic and point guard Cory Joseph (lower back) are listed as questionable for Friday’s game.
Kings upcoming schedule
Dec. 6 at San Antonio Spurs, 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 8 at Dallas Mavericks, 4 p.m.
Dec. 9 at Houston Rockets, 5 p.m.
Dec. 11 vs. Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Dec. 13 vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 4:14 PM.
