Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk missed the final two games before the All-Star break due to an ankle injury. The last time he played was back on February 10th against the Dallas Mavericks, when he scored eight points and dished out four assists in 15 minutes of playing time. Kings fans have been waiting nearly two weeks to see Monk return to the hardwood, but, fortunately, a recent injury update indicates that they'll only have to wait a little longer.
Monk said that he'll play in Thursday night's game against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, per a tweet from Underdog Fantasy's NBA account.
Monk, 25, is in his sixth year in the NBA and first as a member of the Kings franchise. He's averaging 13.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks across 54 appearances this season (zero starts).
The former University of Kentucky standout is struggling to shoot the ball from behind the three-point arc in 2022-23, at least by his standards — Monk's current 32.8% three-point percentage is the second-lowest of his pro career.
Even with Monk back in the lineup, the Kings must be on their game to beat the Blazers on Thursday. After all, Lillard has been on a scoring tear of late for Portland. Over his last ten appearances, he's averaging 36.1 points — the second-highest in the league during this span, behind only Luka Doncic — on 48.6% shooting from the field and 36.8% from three-point range. It'll be interesting to see how the Kings defend Lillard and if they'll throw multiple bodies at him.
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