Sacramento Kings

Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton will undergo MRI after injuring knee against Mavericks

Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) loses control of the dribble and falls to the ground after suffering an unknown lower leg injury in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Sunday, May 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) loses control of the dribble and falls to the ground after suffering an unknown lower leg injury in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Sunday, May 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) AP

Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton will undergo an MRI after suffering a left knee injury in Sunday’s 111-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Haliburton went down after taking an awkward step with 7:30 to play in the third quarter at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Haliburton was helped to his feet and led to the locker room for treatment from the team’s medical staff.

A short time later, the Kings announced Haliburton would not return to the game. Kings coach Luke Walton said Haliburton will undergo an MRI on Monday morning, but he was hopeful that Haliburton had avoided a serious injury.

“He’ll get an MRI tomorrow and we’ll hope for the best,” Walton said. “We won’t know anything until tomorrow. We’ll find out after the MRI.

“I’m not going to guess on it. We’ll find out tomorrow. We’re very hopeful that it’s not (serious), but there’s no reason for me to guess right now. We’ll just wait and hear back from the medical staff tomorrow.”

Haliburton, 21, emerged as a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year this season after coming out of Iowa State as the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He is averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He is shooting 47.1% from the field, 40.6% from 3-point range and 85.5% at the free-throw line.

This story was originally published May 2, 2021 at 7:33 PM.

Jason Anderson
The Sacramento Bee
Jason Anderson has been the Sacramento Kings beat writer for The Sacramento Bee since 2018. He is a Sacramento native who is proud to provide coverage that is as passionate and dedicated as the loyal Kings fan base.
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