Kings update Keegan Murray’s injury status for in-season tournament game vs. Timberwolves
The Kings will be missing a key player when they conclude a six-game road trip with a big NBA Cup in-season tournament game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Second-year forward Keegan Murray has been ruled out for the second game in a row due to lower back soreness. Keon Ellis (left ankle sprain) and Alex Len (right ankle sprain) are out as well. Rookie guard Colby Jones is questionable due to left hip soreness.
The loss of Murray has compounded Sacramento’s early injury woes heading into the biggest game of the season thus far. The Kings and Timberwolves are 2-0 in West Group C with two group stage games remaining. The Kings hold the tiebreaker by virtue of a 16-10 advantage in point differential. The winner of each group and one wild card from each conference will advance to the knockout stage with a chance to go to the Final Four in Las Vegas.
The Kings (8-6) won six in a row before suffering back-to-back losses to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Timberwolves (11-3) have the best record in the Western Conference after winning three in a row and 10 of their last 11.
The Kings were one of the healthiest teams in the league in terms of games missed due to injuries last season. They haven’t been as fortunate so far this season.
Murray, Ellis, Len, Chris Duarte (thumb), Kevin Huerter (finger), Trey Lyles (calf) and Sasha Vezenkov (thumb) have all missed time during this road trip due to injuries. All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox missed five games with a sprained ankle in early November. Lyles returned to score 12 points in his season debut Wednesday after missing 13 games with a calf strain.
Murray left Monday’s 129-93 loss to the Pelicans at halftime and did not return. He was subsequently ruled out of Wednesday’s 117-112 loss to the Pelicans after being listed as questionable.
Kings coach Mike Brown elected to start Duarte with Murray out of the lineup. Brown might choose to do the same against the Timberwolves if he wants Duarte to guard Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who is averaging 26.1 points per game. Brown could also turn to Lyles in an effort to combat Minnesota’s size with 7-footers Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.
