BREAKING: Kings Announce Malik Monk Injury Update vs. Suns

Sacramento Kings star sixth man Malik Monk left Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns early.

Nov 8, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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, sitting at the top of the Western Conference standings, but are playing Sunday night's divisional game without superstar forward Kevin Durant.

The Kings bolted out with a five-point lead after the first quarter, but just a minute into the second, Sacramento's star sixth man had to leave the game with an ankle injury. Monk appeared to take an awkward step on Suns center Mason Plumlee's foot, putting a gigantic hole in Sacramento's second unit.

Malik Monk appeared to injure his ankle on this play pic.twitter.com/KuZFzXXepN

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 11, 2024

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

Sprained right ankle for Malik Monk, he will not return. A thin bench for Mike Brown gets even thinner.

— Allen Stiles (@The_StilesFiles) November 11, 2024

Sacramento's bench unit has been a sore spot early into the season, despite reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Malik Monk leading the way. Through nine games, Monk is averaging 13.6 points and 2.9 assists but is shooting a poor 28.6 percent from deep as the entire team seems to have caught a shooting bug.

Monk has been one of the league's top sixth men since joining the Kings in the 2022 offseason, as Sacramento's second unit revolves around his scoring and playmaking abilities. If Monk has to miss more time, the Kings desperately need somebody to step up as a bench spark, or else Sacramento could be in trouble.

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