Chris Duarte, a guard with the Sacramento Kings, suffered an ankle injury on Thursday that will keep him out of action for at least a week or two. Prior to the Kings’ game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, Duarte’s right ankle sprain was officially diagnosed by imaging tests, the team stated. Duarte will not play against the Denver Nuggets on Friday at Golden 1 Centre. In seven to fourteen days, he will be reevaluated. The Kings (29–21) lost 133–120 to the Pistons and were ranked sixth in the Western Conference. With the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Utah Jazz looming in the play-in picture, they are fighting for the final two automatic playoff slots alongside the Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, and Dallas Mavericks.
While warming up for the game on Wednesday at the team’s practice space, Duarte rolled his ankle. Before the game, he was spotted in the locker room using crutches. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard Duarte, 26, has come and gone from head coach Mike Brown’s starting lineup this year. In 12.9 minutes per game, he is averaging 3.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. On November 19, Duarte had his greatest performance in a 129-113 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, recording career-highs of 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. In a loss against the Charlotte Hornets on January 2, he finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Before going out of the rotation on January 5, he scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in a 135-130 victory over the Toronto Raptors. In 2021, Oregon’s Duarte won the Pac-12 Player of the Year award. In the NBA draft of 2021, the Indiana Pacers selected him with the 13th overall pick. After averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals with the Pacers in 2021–22, Duarte was chosen for the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Duarte was acquired by the Kings from the Pacers in July for two second-round draft selections, bringing him back together with his former teammate Domantas Sabonis. The Kings, who finished as the third seed in the Western Conference and made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, were among the NBA’s healthiest teams. This season, injuries have kept De’Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Trey Lyles, Sasha Vezenkov, Alex Len, Keon Ellis, and Duarte out of action.
