The Sacramento Kings will be without star big man Domantas Sabonis going into their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Sabonis will miss the team's matchup due to a hamstring injury, per NBA insider Chris Haynes.
“Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis sustained a mild hamstring strain and he’ll miss the preseason finale vs. Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, league sources tell me,” Haynes wrote on Thursday.
Sabonis suffered the hamstring injury during the third quarter of the Kings' matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. It's clear that the pain will keep out for the remainder of the preseason while he hopes to be ready for the start of the regular season.
What lies ahead for Domantas Sabonis, Kings
The Kings will have their work cut out for them while Domantas Sabonis recovers from his hamstring injury. In the meantime, they will hope for a solid start to the 2025-26 NBA season.
Sabonis is coming off another strong season as one of the best big men in the league. He averaged 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and six assists per game throughout 70 appearances. He shot 59% from the field, including 41.7% from beyond the arc, and 75.4% from the free-throw line.
The three-time All-Star is gearing up for his fifth season at Sacramento since the team acquired him from the Indiana Pacers in the 2021-22 campaign. He's experienced success with them, helping them end a 16-year playoff drought in 2023 with a $-run campaign.
However, Sacramento has regressed in past seasons. They remained competitive in the playoff picture via the play-in tournament. It wasn't enough as they lost in those rounds while being in contention for the last two playoff spots.
Sacramento has retooled in the offseason, adding Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook to fulfill their talent at the guard position. How the team performs with their core being Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine will be worth observing to see if they can make noise in a tough Western Conference.
Following their preseason finale, the Kings will prepare for their regular-season opener. They will be on the road, facing the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 22 at 10 p.m. ET.
