Kings provide update on Malik Monk injury against Suns

The Sacramento Kings have won five of their last seven games but face one of their toughest challenges of the 2024-25 season on the road against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are 8-1 at the top of the Western Conference standings, but will play Sunday night's division game without superstar forward Kevin Durant.

The Kings jumped out to a five-point lead after the first quarter, but just a minute into the second quarter, Sacramento's star sixth man left the game with an ankle injury. Monk appeared to take an awkward step onto the foot of Suns center Mason Plumlee, leaving a huge hole in Sacramento's second unit.

The Kings have announced that Monk will not return for Sunday night's game in Phoenix as the star shooting guard is expected to be evaluated on Monday.

Sacramento's bench was a sore spot early in the season, although Malik Monk, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, had the edge. In nine games, Monk has averaged 13.6 points and 2.9 assists, but is shooting a poor 28.6 percent from distance as the entire team appears to have caught the shooting bug.

Monk has been one of the league's best sixth men since joining the Kings in the 2022 offseason as Sacramento's second unit focuses on his scoring and playmaking abilities. If Monk has to miss more time, the Kings desperately need someone to step in as a bench radioman or Sacramento could be in trouble.

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