The struggling Sacramento Kings will be shorthanded again when they visit the Boston Celtics, but the Celtics won’t be at full strength either.
The Kings have ruled Domantas Sabonis out for Friday’s game at TD Garden in Boston due to left knee injury management. Russell Westbrook will miss his second consecutive game because of right foot soreness.
The Celtics will be missing Jaylen Brown, who has been ruled out due to left hamstring tightness and a right knee contusion. Neemias Queta, who is battling an illness, is expected to be available.
The Kings (12-37) are mired in a seven-game losing streak. They will be on the second night of a back-to-back after suffering a 113-111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
The Celtics (29-18) suffered a 117-106 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. They are tied for second in the Eastern Conference, 5 ½ games behind the Detroit Pistons.
Here are three key storylines going into Friday’s game.
Lottery position
Sacramento is now tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the worst record in the NBA, just ahead of the Indiana Pacers (12-36) and Washington Wizards (12-34). The Kings will visit the Wizards on Sunday in the final game of a six-game road trip.
The teams that finish with the three worst records in the NBA will have a 52.1% chance of securing a top four pick in the NBA draft and a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 pick. The Kings haven’t had the No. 1 pick since 1989, when they selected Pervis Ellison. They took Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 pick in 2018, passing on the likes of Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Will Zach LaVine start?
Kings coach Doug Christie made an interesting move in Thursday’s game against the 76ers with Zach LaVine coming off the bench after missing two games due to lower back soreness.
Christie has made similar moves when Sabonis, LaVine and Keegan Murray returned from extended absences this season, but his reason for benching LaVine after a brief absence is unclear. It will be interesting to see if LaVine returns to the starting lineup or remains on the bench in Friday’s game against the Celtics.
Malik Monk is back
Kings guard Malik Monk is expected to be available after missing the past two games due to right ankle soreness.
Monk has been on a roll lately. Over his past five games, he has averaged 17.3 points while shooting 57.6% from the field and 55.6% from 3-point range.
Kings at Celtics
When: 4:30 p.m.
Where: TD Garden
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Odds: Celtics -12.5
Over/under: 217.5
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Keegan Murray (ankle); Domantas Sabonis (knee); Russell Westbrook (foot).
76ers: AVAILABLE — Neemias Queta (illness). OUT — Jaylen Brown (hamstring, knee); Ron Harper Jr. (G League); Max Shulga (G League); Jayson Tatum (Achilles); Amari Williams (G League). K