Malik Monk (ankle) ruled OUT vs. San Antonio

Nov 11, 2024, 10:09 AM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Malik Monk poses for a photo during a media day photo shoot ...

(Photo by John Todd/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

The Sacramento Kings have struggled to find stability in its bench rotation thus far, and now they will be without prized Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Malik Monk.

Monk, who exited Sunday’s win in Phoenix after taking a bad step when attempting to get around a screen set by Suns big Mason Plumlee, has been ruled out of Sacramento’s game on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs, per NBA insider Chris Haynes.

It’s been a tough start to the season for Monk, as the 26-year-old holds averages 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 27 percent from three-point range. Now, the guard will be sidelined for at least one game, with the potential for a more prolonged absence.

The Kings will conduct tests on Monk’s ankle before determining a return-to-play plan, but even a moderate sprain will likely leave Sacramento without the high-scoring guard for a multiple-game stretch.

With Monk sidelined, the Kings will have to lean even further on a starting five that features four players—DeMar DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis—in the NBA’s top-ten list of minutes-per-game leaders.

Expect Keon Ellis and Jordan McLaughlin to see a bump in playing time as Monk recovers, with Doug McDermott also likely to be in the mix for head coach Mike Brown.

Malik Monk appeared to injure his ankle on this play pic.twitter.com/KuZFzXXepN

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 11, 2024

More Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs coverage

The Sacramento Kings are flying high on the heels of a thrilling overtime win in Phoeinx, but a tall test (literally) will be in front of them on Monday night when they take the floor in San Antonio.

Sacramento (6-4) delivered in crunch time on Sunday, thanks to the impressive closing efforts from DeMar DeRozan (24 points in the fourth quarter and overtime) and De’Aaron Fox (eight points in overtime) as the Kings bounced back from an ugly loss against the Los Angeles Clippers with a win over the 8-1 Suns.

San Antonio (4-6) enters play on Monday having lost three of its past four games, but star big Victor Wembanyama is fresh off of the breakout performance he was looking for. After struggling for the first few weeks of the season, the former number-one draft pick scored 24 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked seven shots during a one-point loss in Utah on Saturday.