Kings gameday live: Neemias Queta clears COVID-19 protocols; Mavericks situation worsens
The Kings will have their entire roster available when they play the Dallas Mavericks on Friday at Golden 1 Center. The Mavericks will not.
Rookie center Neemias Queta cleared NBA health and safety protocols Thursday, a league source told The Sacramento Bee. Queta, the first player from Portugal to appear in an NBA game, was the last of the Kings to come out of the league’s protocol system. De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, Terence Davis, Marvin Bagley III, Louis King and Alex Len were cleared earlier this week.
The situation has only gotten worse for the Mavericks since they suffered a 95-94 loss to the Kings on Wednesday night. Dallas signed Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract Wednesday because Luka Doncic, Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, Brandon Knight, Boban Marjanovic and JaQuori McLaughlin were all out due to health and safety protocols. Thomas joined that list Thursday, just 24 hours after joining the Mavericks in Sacramento for Wednesday’s game against the Kings.
The Kings (15-21) have won back-to-back games for the first time since early December. Tyrese Haliburton had 24 points and 10 assists in a 117-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Chimezie Metu made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Mavericks on Wednesday.
The Mavericks (16-18) have lost three of four. Doncic hasn’t played since Dec. 10, first due to an ankle injury and then because of health and safety protocols. There was some speculation Doncic might be ready to return against the Kings, but Thursday the Mavericks said he has been ruled out for Friday’s game along with Burke, Hardaway, Kleber, Knight, Marjanovic, McLaughlin, Thomas and Willie Cauley-Stein, who is away for personal reasons.
Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento Kings
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sports 1140 KHTK
Odds: Mavericks -1.5
Over/under: 216.5
Injury report
Mavericks: OUT — Trey Burke (health and safety protocols); Willie Cauley-Stein (personal reasons); Luka Doncic (health and safety protocols); Tim Hardaway Jr. (health and safety protocols); Maxi Kleber (health and safety protocols); JaQuori McLaughlin (health and safety protocols); Isaiah Thomas (health and safety protocols).
Kings: None.
This story was originally published December 31, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
