The Golden State Warriors fell to the Sacramento Kings 123-117 on Wednesday night. Already battling a slew of injuries in the first part of the season, the Warriors lost Kevon Looney midway through the game due to an illness.

Looney has been playing well for Golden State. The team is 2-0 in his last five appearances where he saw at least 20 minutes of action, and he averaged 7.0 points and 9.0 rebounds.

Looney's absence forced head coach Steve Kerr to once again make adjustments in the Warriors' rotation. Trayce Jackson-Davis started the second half over Looney and Quinten Post replaced him halfway through the third, per Danny Emerman of Bay Area News Group. Looney also didn't come out of the locker room for the second half.

Kevon Looney should be ready for Warriors' next game

Jan 22, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center.
Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Ahead of a matchup with the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, the Warriors are optimistic that Looney will be available to return to the court.

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Golden State's rebounding was strong against the Kings, despite missing one of their go-to players in that department. Jackson-Davis pulled down eight boards in 24 minutes, and Post with six in 15 minutes.

Looney has a chance to make it back for Thursday night's game, which will help Kerr and the Warriors re-establish their rhythm with the starting group. The 28-year-old center recently addressed the team's struggles since their previous stretch of NBA dominance, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.

“Seems like an eternity ago,” Warriors center Kevon Looney said when asked how long ago the 2022 NBA championship feels like. “We have had a lot of iterations of the team since then. Each season brings on a new challenge. That year seems further and further away. But hopefully, we can get back to that feeling of being a champion. But we got a long way to go.”

The Warriors sit at 21-22, and on the outs of the Western Conference's top-10 for the moment. They are going to have to string together more consistent performances, stay healthy, and potentially make a serious move or two at the trade deadline for a legitimate playoff push.