The Celtics could be facing a stiff challenge on Monday when they go for their sixth straight win against the Sacramento Kings. Boston is set to face a Kings team that could have star center Domantas Sabonis back in the lineup ahead of schedule. The big man was a full participant in Sunday’s practice after sitting out the past week with a right ankle sprain suffered Monday night.
Sabonis was originally scheduled to miss 10 days after being diagnosed with the ankle sprain but has progressed ahead of schedule since going down with an ankle injury on March 17.
The Kings have lost two straight games in his absence as they battle for playoff positioning in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Currently, Sacramento sits just 1.5 games above the Suns and Mavericks for the No. 9 seed in the West, with 12 games remaining in the regular season.
Every game matters for the Kings at this point with the possibility of them falling out of the playoff picture entirely without a strong finish. That situation is a sharp contrast to Boston’s who are securely locked into the No. 2 seed with a 7.5 game cushion and just 11 games remaining.
That advantage combined with the contest coming on the second end of a back-to-back means the Celtics will likely be shorthanded against a motivated Kings squad. Al Horford is certain to sit the second half of the back-to-back while Jaylen Brown is set to be re-evaluated Monday after missing three games with a knee injury.
Jayson Tatum also popped up on the injury report Sunday with a knee injury but played in Boston’s win over the Blazers. Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Jrue Holiday (shoulder) would be candidates to return to the lineup after sitting out the front end of the back-to-back. Boston will officially release their injury report for the Kings game Monday afternoon.
Kings starting shooting guard Malik Monk is also questionable due to illness in addition to Sabonis.
The Celtics and Kings will tip off at 10:00 p.m. from Golden One Arena on Monday night.
* _**BETTING:**_ _Check out our_ [_MA sports betting guide_](https://www.masslive.com/betting/guides/how-to-bet/)_, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts._