Kings-Celtics Injury Report: Jaylen Brown Status Revealed
The Sacramento Kings kicked off their four-game road trip with a tough loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday night, blowing a 21-point lead in a heartbreaker. The Kings will stay on the East Coast on Friday to take on the Boston Celtics for the second leg of their back-to-back.
The Celtics hold a league-best 60 wins with an outstanding 33-3 record at home. After a tough loss in New York on Thursday night, Friday's game in Boston might be Sacramento's toughest game of the season.
After Thursday's loss, the Kings are only half of a game ahead of the ninth-place Los Angeles Lakers in the West, but remain just one game behind the sixth-place Phoenix Suns. While it is hard to put a "must-win" label on such a tough game, the Kings must at least prove they can hang with the best team in the league as the playoffs approach.
Both teams have released their Injury Reports ahead of Friday's matchup:
Sacramento Kings:
Malik Monk - OUT (knee)
Kevin Huerter - OUT (shoulder)
Boston Celtics:
Jaylen Brown - OUT (hand)
Derrick White - OUT (back)
Jaden Springer - OUT (knee)
The Kings will remain without Malik Monk for at least the rest of the regular season, while Kevin Huerter is sidelined after season-ending surgery. The Kings are now 2-2 without Monk this season and showed they could have used his aggressive scoring ability in Thursday's loss in New York. Not having their star sixth man hurts, but Sacramento must find ways to win without him.
The Celtics will be without starting guard Derrick White and star wing Jaylen Brown, as both have been listed out as they deal with minor injuries. White has been one of the most impressive defensive guards in the NBA this year, while Brown has risen to the occasion as Boston's most effective scorer at times.
When these two squads met in Sacramento earlier this season, Brown and White each scored 28 as Boston rolled past the Kings in a 144-119 win with superstar Jayson Tatum sidelined. With the Celtics down two of their top four scorers in Friday's matchup, the Kings could have the chance to get a much-needed upset road win.
The Kings and Celtics tip off at 4:30 PM PT on NBA TV.
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