Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox ruled out for game against Oklahoma City Thunder
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to lower abdominal tightness.
Fox briefly left Tuesday’s win over the Golden State Warriors with an injury that was initially described as a right groin strain. He returned to the game after going to the locker room to be examined by the team’s medical staff, finishing with 21 points and five assists in a 112-94 victory over the Warriors.
The Kings told The Sacramento Bee that Fox’s abdominal tightness is correlated to the groin tightness he experienced in the game against the Warriors. He is considered day-to-day and will continue to be monitored.
The Kings (24-33) have won three in a row and nine of their last 13. They are 3 ½ games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the Western Conference going into Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder (36-22), which has won four in a row and eight of its last 10.
Fox has missed 18 games this season. He missed 17 games in November and December with a grade-3 ankle sprain. He also missed a Dec. 28 game against the Phoenix Suns after leaving the previous game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with back spasms. Fox has played through some discomfort while nursing ankle and shoulder soreness in recent days and weeks.
The Kings are 9-9 without Fox this season. Fox is averaging 19.9 points, 6.9 assist, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals this season.
Kings coach Luke Walton will likely start Cory Joseph at point guard if Fox is unable to play against Oklahoma City. Sacramento will face the Grizzlies on Friday on the second night of a back-to-back in a game with significant playoff implications for the surging Kings.
Injury report
Kings: QUESTIONABLE — De’Aaron Fox (lower abdominal tightness). OUT — Richaun Holmes (shoulder); Marvin Bagley III (foot).
Thunder: OUT — Darius Bazley (knee); Andre Roberson (knee).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 27 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m.
Feb. 28 at Memphis, 5 p.m.
March 1 vs. Detroit, 3 p.m.
March 3 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
March 5 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 12:16 PM.
