The Sacramento Kings have now lost three straight games, and by the looks of it, their woes are expected to continue with star big man Domantas Sabonis injured and out for their next five games.

Sacramento has a five-game road trip scheduled in the next 10 days, and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Sabonis won't be with the team during the said stretch as he nurses a bruised left knee.

Sabonis sustained the injury after colliding with Mikal Bridges during their Sunday showdown with the Phoenix Suns. Fortunately, an MRI revealed there is no structural damage in his knee.

 

Domantas Sabonis will be re-evaluated after the long series of away games, though it is still not certain if he'll be able to play after that. It is also worth asking whether the Kings will be motivated to put him back on the floor given that it is now virtually impossible for the Sac-Town team to make the playoffs.

At 25-48, the Kings will likely need to win all their remaining games to book a ticket to the play-in tournament–which is a difficult task given they still have scheduled matches against the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.

The Kings acquired Sabonis in a trade with the Indiana Pacers before the trade deadline, and he has been phenomenal ever since arriving in Sacramento. He has averages of 18.9 points and 12.3 rebounds in 15 games since the trade, establishing himself as a crucial piece of the future for the team alongside De'Aaron Fox.

Hopefully, he'll be able to get back to 100 percent health soon. But the Sacramento franchise definitely doesn't have to rush him back in what is another lost season.