Kings' DeMar DeRozan ruled out for Wednesday's game against Wolves
The Sacramento Kings ruled out guard DeMar DeRozan for Wednesday's game against the Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis after DeRozan experienced lower-back inflammation Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Forward Trey Lyles will also be out for the Kings due to a Grade 1 calf strain suffered in Monday's game. Lyles will be out for some time and will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks.
DeRozan, 35, previously missed the NBA Cup game between the Wolves and Kings on Nov. 15, which Minnesota ultimately won 130-126 in overtime. Wednesday will be the third matchup overall between the Wolves and Kings, with Minnesota also winning in Sacramento on Oct. 24. DeRozan did play in that matchup and scored 26 points.
The loss of DeRozan will certainly be a blow for the Kings. He's the team's second-leading scorer at 22.6 points per game, and he's also averaging 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest. He's started 15 of the team's 18 games.
Lyles averages 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
The Wolves may or may not be dealing with injuries of their own. Both point guard Mike Conley and reserve forward Joe Ingles are "gametime" decisions for the Wolves' NBA Cup game Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets, Wolves coach Chris Finch said before the game. If either of them are unable to play Tuesday, their status for Wednesday would also be in doubt. If Conley were to miss Tuesday night's game, that'd be his third straight game out of the lineup.