Near the end of the first quarter Sunday during a 115-98 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray swatted a Bobby Portis shot off the glass and went coast-to-coast for a emphatic, one-handed dunk.
Near the end of the third quarter, Murray suffered the latest injury in the string of setbacks that have disrupted his fourth season in the NBA, a season in which his team, collectively, has been ravaged by injuries while posting the third-worst record in the league.
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The 8-28 Kings announced Tuesday that an MRI revealed the 25-year-old Iowa product is dealing with a moderate left ankle sprain, and that he will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks.
Just before New Year’s, the 2022 No. 4 overall pick returned from a calf injury that cost him a pair of games in late December.
Murray’s 2025-26 campaign got off to a delayed start because of a torn UCL in his left thumb that required surgery. He picked up that injury during a preseason loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and went on to miss the first 15 games of the season.
His ankle issue stemmed from a third-quarter drive Sunday. With the Kings trailing the Bucks by 15 points and 4:01 remaining in the frame, Murray attacked the paint.
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He was met by Milwaukee center Myles Turner. After being tied up by Turner, Murray tried to dish a mid-air pass to Kings big man Drew Eubanks. It didn’t connect, and Murray took an awkward fall.
Once he landed, he reached for his left ankle. Murray ultimately needed assistance as he limped to the locker room.
Murray signed what was reported as a five-year, $140 million rookie extension with the Kings this fall, but he’s now played in just 19 of Sacramento’s 36 games, and he’ll be missing several more with his ankle injury.
Murray, who previously appeared in 233 of a possible 246 games over his first three seasons, is currently averaging 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, however, his 42.9% field-goal percentage and 37.2% 3-point percentage are career lows.
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He’s far from the only Kings player bit by the injury bug this season.
Rookie center Maxime Raynaud had an injury scare in the fourth quarter of a 129-102 defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
He’s been starting in the place of injured frontcourt star Domantas Sabonis, a three-time All-Star who is still recovering from a partially torn meniscus.
Raynaud was back in the lineup Sunday against the Bucks, and so was Zach LaVine. The two-time All-Star guard was coming off a nine-game absence due to a left ankle injury of his own.
The Kings have lost five games in a row, all by double digits. They have the worst point differential (minus-12) in the NBA, and they can’t seem to catch a break health-wise.
