Injury sidelines Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk against Milwaukee Bucks
The Sacramento Kings will try to extend their winning streak Tuesday night to eight games without one of their key scorers.
Starting guard Malik Monk has been ruled out of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, according to a league source, due to right groin soreness. Monk did not participate in the team’s shoot-around at Fiserv Forum hours before the game.
Monk has been a key player during the Kings’ recent hot streak under interim coach Doug Christie. During the winning streak which began Dec. 30, Monk has averaged 22.0 points, 7.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals. The Kings during their eight games since Christie replaced head coach Mike Brown rank fourth in offensive rating, sixth in defensive rating and fourth in overall net rating.
Sacramento is coming off its first game of the season in which the entire roster was healthy and available with De’Aaron Fox’s comeback from a glute contusion, but that only lasted one game. Christie would likely turn to Keon Ellis to start at shooting guard in Monk’s place.
The severity of Monk’s injury is unknown. Tuesday’s game against the Bucks is the last game of the Kings’ three-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams before returning to Golden 1 Center on Thursday to host the Houston Rockets. Sacramento beat the Boston Celtics on Friday and the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon.
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 9:52 AM.
