Let’s begin with a question: Is Victor Wembanyama the backbone of the San Antonio Spurs? Last night a 139-124 defeat to the Chicago Bulls highlighted Spurs’ challenge without Wembanyama. The Bulls, led by Nikola Vucevic’s 39 points, dominated the game. Although Keldon Johnson added 28 points with Devin Vassell adding 17 points, but looks like Spurs needed their Frenchman.
However, now as the Spurs face the Sacramento Kings today, the big question is: Will Wembanyama return to action, or will his absence linger? Let’s find out.
Is Victor Wembanyama playing against the Kings? What does the injury report say?
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The Spurs superstar is in “day-to-day” status against the Kings. He sustained a back injury against the Suns when he fell hard, as Bradley Beal drew a charge on one of his drives. It’s not clear if that exact moment caused the injury, but the soreness is enough to keep him sidelined. As a result, he missed the following match against the Bulls, and his status being questionable makes fans worried. With that said, let’s look into other injuries the team is navigating their way through. Their young center, Tre Jones is “out” due to his left shoulder injury. The hooper sustained the injury against the Kings on Monday as he got hit early in the fourth quarter. However, this will be his third straight match to be missing out.
Devin Vassell will also be “out” due to right foot injury management. He underwent an off-season surgery to repair his foot injury that was sustained last season with a stress fracture in the third metatarsal of his right foot. With that, the Spurs injury report comes to an end.
On the other hand, the Kings’ injury report looks good as there is only one player injured. Trey Lyles remains “out” due to calf soreness sustained against OKC Thunder. He exited in the second quarter, and an MRI later revealed a grade 1 right calf strain. The team announced that he would be re-evaluated in three to four weeks.
With the injury reports complete, let’s take a closer look at the depth charts for both teams heading into this matchup.
Depth chart and potential lineups: Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs
Spurs’ Depth Chart:
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— | |||||
PG | Chris Paul | Blake Wesley | Stephon Castle | Malaki Branham | Jeremy Sochan |
SG | Stephon Castle | Devin Vassell (O) | Malaki Branham | Blake Wesley | Julian Champagnie |
SF | Harrison Barnes | Julian Champagnie | Keldon Johnson | Malaki Branham | Devin Vassell (O) |
PF | Jeremy Sochan | Keldon Johnson | Harrison Barnes | Sandro Mamukelashvili | Julian Champagnie |
C | Victor Wembanyama (DD) | Zach Collins | Charles Bassey | Sandro Mamukelashvili | Jeremy Sochan |
Kings’ Depth Chart:
— | |||||
PG | De’Aaron Fox | Malik Monk | Jordan McLaughlin | Keon Ellis | Devin Carter (O) |
SG | Malik Monk | Kevin Huerter | Keon Ellis | Colby Jones | Jordan McLaughlin |
SF | DeMar DeRozan | Kevin Huerter | Colby Jones | Keegan Murray | Keon Ellis |
PF | Keegan Murray | Jae Crowder | DeMar DeRozan | Isaac Jones | Doug McDermott |
C | Domantas Sabonis | Isaac Jones | Alex Len | Orlando Robinson | Trey Lyles (O) |
Please Note: DD and O means Day-to-day and Out, respectively.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Atlanta Hawks potential lineups could be:
— | Cleveland Cavaliers | Washington Wizards |
PG | Chris Paul | De’Aaron Fox |
SG | Stephon Castle | Malik Monk |
SF | Harrison Barnes | DeMar DeRozan |
PF | Jeremy Sochan | Keegan Murray |
C | Victor Wembanyama or Zach Collins | Domantas Sabonis |
Head-to-head records of the last 10 Kings-Spurs’ games
H2H analysis allows us to dive deeper, giving us a clearer pattern in their rivalry. It highlights trends, such as which team has a better edge in specific situations. Below, we list the last ten games between the Spurs and Kings (7-3 record).
Date | Score | Result |
2024/12/02 | 125-127 | Spurs Win |
2024/11/12 | 116-96 | Spurs Win |
2024/03/08 | 131-129 | Kings Win |
2024/02/23 | 127-122 | Kings Win |
2023/11/18 | 129-120 | Kings Win |
2023/04/03 | 134-142 | Spurs Win |
2023/02/02 | 119-109 | Kings Win |
2023/01/16 | 132-119 | Kings Win |
2022/11/18 | 130-112 | Kings Win |
2022/03/04 | 115-112 | Kings Win |
Now we know who’s been dominating. Who do you think will win tonight? Do let us know your predictions in the comment section below.
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Can the Spurs survive without Wembanyama, or is he truly their indispensable backbone?
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