Is Domantas Sabonis Playing? Full Pacers vs Kings Injury Report Revealed

The three-time All-Star was recently downgraded ahead of the game with a sprained left ankle.

Feb 2, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson (22) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

After recording a 19-point, 19-rebound double-double in a narrow 103-99 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, three-time All-Star Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis recently saw his health status downgraded to "questionable" ahead of Sunday evening's follow-up game against his last team, the Indiana Pacers, due to a sprained left ankle.

Missing Sabonis would prove incredibly costly for the Kings. Arguably the team's best player, the versatile big man is averaging 21.3 points on .618/.429/.803 shooting splits, 13.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 0.8 steals a night. The two-time All-NBA honoree is a critical component to Sacramento's rebounding and passing game, beyond his multifaceted scoring.

Beyond leaning more on fellow 2023 All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and De'Aaron to pick up the ball handling and scoring burdens, Sacramento would need to hope that his backup, Trey Lyles, would need to pick up his rebounding with presumed extended run.

Thankfully, that's not going to be an issue.

The 6-foot-10 Gonzaga alum's status has been officially confirmed. Per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, he's been given the green light to play.

Elsewhere on the Kings' roster, rookie point guard Devin Carter will continue to miss out on making his season debut as he recuperates from an offseason left shoulder surgery. Frontcourt reserves Lyles and Keegan Murray have both seen their statuses upgraded to available.

But what of Indiana?

Per Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, reserve shooting guard Ben Sheppard has been made available to suit up, after having been listed as questionable to play through a lingering left oblique strain, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Starting small forward Aaron Nesmith remains unavailable with the left ankle sprain that's kept him out since November.

Sheppard, a second-year swingman, had eked out significant rotation minutes this season thanks to the extended injury absences of starters Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard. He's seen his minutes average balloon from 14.3 in 2023-24 to 20.6 this year. He's still not scoring much, averaging 5.5 points on 41.4 percent shooting from the floor (38 percent from deep), 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists a night.

Backup Pacers centers James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson, of course, remain permanently on the shelf this year with their Achilles tendon tears. Indiana has been granted disabled player exceptions for both.

Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. According to betting aggregator The Action Network, the hometown Kings are considered slight favorites to defend Golden 1 Center, by just two points. Time will tell if the Pacers can pull off the upset.

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