Kings vs. Pacers Injury Report: Indiana missing several key pieces

Fresh off their most impressive showing of what has been a rough start to the 2025-26 season, the Sacramento Kings will conclude a three-game road trip on Monday afternoon against the Indiana Pacers.

Sacramento (6-17) delivered its first double-digit win of the season on Saturday night in Miami, winning by a final of 127-111 behind an explosive 42-point outing from Zach LaVine.

Speaking of rough starts to the season, the Kings will face an Indiana Pacers team that reached Game 7 of the NBA Finals in June but is now dealing with a series of injuries to key rotation players.

Former Sacramento guard Tyrese Haliburton (right Achilles tear) is expected to miss the entire regular season, while forwards Obi Tobbin (foot) and Aaron Nesmith (knee) will both miss Monday’s matchup in Indianapolis.

The Kings are dealing with injuries of their own, as former Pacers center Domantas Sabonis (knee) will miss his ninth-straight game as he recovers from a partial tear in his left meniscus. Sacramento is set to re-evaluate Sabonis sometime within the next week.

With Sabonis out, fourth-year forward Keegan Murray has done a good job of stepping up to anchor the front court. Murray, who is averaging 16.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game over his first eight games this season, is listed as questionable for Monday’s game due to right trapezius soreness.

Already without Sabonis, Sacramento may have to lean on its rookie duo of center Maxime Raynud, who logged his first NBA start in Miami, and wing Nique Clifford, if Murray is unable to go vs. Indiana.

Raynaud–the 42nd overall pick in June’s NBA Draft–has been impressive for the Kings, averaging 16.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game on 59 percent shooting from the field over his past four contests.

Clifford, who scored a career-high 15 points (seven-of-eight shooting from the field) and tied a career-best six boards during Saturday’s win over the Heat, could be in line for a bump in playing time if Murray is unavailable.

Veteran guard Dennis Schroder hasn’t played in two weeks due to a hip flexor strain, but is listed as questionable vs. the Pacers.

Here’s the full injury report for tonight’s Sacramento Kings vs. Indiana Pacers showdown:

Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets Injury Report

Sacramento

• Keegan Murray (right trapezius soreness) – ACTIVE
• Dennis Schroder (right hip flexor strain) – OUT
• Domantas Sabonis (left knee, partial meniscus tear) – OUT
• Devin Carter  (G League) – OUT
• Dylan Cardwell (G League) – OUT
• Daeqwon Plowden (G League) – OUT
• Isaiah Stevens  (G League) – OUT

Indiana

• Ben Sheppard (left calf strain) – OUT
• Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture) – OUT
• Tyrese Haliburton (right Achilles tear) – OUT
• Aaron Nesmith (left knee MCL sprain) – OUT
• Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction) – OUT
• Quenton Jackson (right hamstring strain) – OUT

Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Indiana Pacers action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before a 4:00 pm PT tip-off from Indianapolis.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

Many Sacramento Kings fans are calling for the team to tank. NBA teams tank for one reason — it works.

There are, however, caveats. Tanking doesn’t ALWAYS work; it’s hard to keep fans engaged while you’re tanking, and flattened lottery odds make it more difficult than ever to land the best players in the draft.

There’s one other problem with tanking: It can take longer than you expect.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how long it’s taken four teams, the Sacramento Kings are believed to be patterning their rebuild after, to complete the job; that is, how many losing seasons did each endure before posting a winning record?

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Rebuilding Team Gold Standard!

After reaching the postseason 10 times in 11 years, the Thunder decided to start from scratch. They slipped to 22 wins in ’20-’21, and 24 wins the next year. They posted 40 wins in 2022-’23 and actually qualified for the Play-In tournament.

During this rebuilding period, they drafted Aaron Wiggins, Josh Giddy, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. Believe it or not, the Thunder rebuild actually began while they were still in Seattle.

Long story short, they received a first-round pick from Phoenix in exchange for assuming Kurt Thomas’s contract.

With the pick, they drafted Serge Ibaka. Ibaka was later traded to Orlando for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, both of whom were eventually sent to the Pacers for Paul George. When Paul George was sent to the Clippers, OKC received their current centerpiece, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

That’s Sam Presti playing chess, not checkers. 3-D, time-travel chess.

TIME IT TOOK TO GET FROM REBUILDING TO REBUILT: 3 years. Following their 40-win Play-In season, they catapulted to 57 wins, then 68 wins, and the NBA title. Oh, and they currently hold FOUR first-round picks in the 2026 Draft.

Read more below:

How long will it take the Kings to go from “rebuilding” to “rebuilt”?

Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season

• Monday, December 8th – @ Indiana Pacers – 4:00 PM PT
• Thursday, December 11th – vs. Denver Nuggets – 7:00 PM PT
• Sunday, December 14th – @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 4:00 PM PT
• Thursday, December 18th – @ Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PT
• Saturday, December 20th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PT

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