Kings’ Domantas Sabonis Has Avulsion Fracture; Will Try to Play Through Thumb Injury

Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis reportedly is hoping to avoid missing time despite being hindered by a hand injury.

According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, the team said Sabonis was diagnosed with an avulsion fracture in his right thumb, but Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Sabonis will try to play through the injury. The Kings listed him as questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

Sabonis appeared to injure his hand in the fourth quarter of Friday’s 125-111 loss to the Washington Wizards. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday that a timeline for Sabonis’ recovery would depend on the severity of the injury as well as his pain tolerance

The two-time All-Star has been one of the key reasons for Sacramento’s resurgence this season. Sabonis leads the league with 12.5 rebounds while also averaging 17.9 points on 61.2 percent shooting along with 6.7 assists. He has a league-high 23 double-doubles and he is one of only three players in the NBA to average at least 10 rebounds and five assists this season, joining former league MVPs Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With Sabonis leading the way, the Kings sit in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 17-14 record, a vast improvement from previous seasons in which they struggled to even get to .500. Sacramento has failed to make the playoffs since 2006, which is the longest drought in the league.

If Sabonis were to miss time, more minutes would be available in the frontcourt for players like Chimezie Metu, Richaun Holmes and Neemias Queta. The Kings are surely hoping that the 26-year-old will be available as much as possible as they try to keep pace in the competitive West.

🚨 SPORTS NEWS ➡️ YOUR INBOX

The latest in the sports world, emailed daily.