Despite many believing they should be trying to lose, the Sacramento Kings have found their rhythm recently, winning three of their last four games. Now, after upsetting the L.A. Clippers on the road on Saturday night, the Kings are back in Sacramento for the second night of a back-to-back with a matchup against the Utah Jazz.
The outcome of Sunday’s matchup could be consequential to the NBA Draft lottery standings, as Utah sits at 20-47, while Sacramento has improved to 17-51. However, Sunday’s matchup will be very unorthodox. As both teams deal with an extensive list of injuries, 16 total players have been ruled out.
Kings’ loaded injury report
Mar 10, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) drives to the basket during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Golden 1 Center. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
The Kings’ injuries were bad enough when they ruled out Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and De’Andre Hunter for the season, but their issues have not stopped there. Not only is standout forward Keegan Murray out for multiple weeks, but they have now added Russell Westbrook, Devin Carter, Malik Monk, and Drew Eubanks into the mix. The Kings’ full injury report:
Devin Carter – OUT (right calf contusion)Drew Eubanks – OUT (left thumb soreness)De’Andre Hunter – OUT (left eye retinal repair)Zach LaVine – OUT (right 5th finger tendon repair)Malik Monk – OUT (right ankle soreness)Keegan Murray – OUT (left ankle sprain)Domantas Sabonis – OUT (left knee meniscus repair)Russell Westbrook – OUT (right foot soreness)
The Kings had just nine players available when they pulled off the upset over the Clippers, but even that number has dwindled for Sunday’s game. The Kings will also be without two-way players Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Isaiah Stevens, meaning they will have just eight players available to play on Sunday.
Kings players available Sunday:
Nique Clifford
Daeqwon Plowden
DeMar DeRozan
Precious Achiuwa
Maxime Raynaud
Dylan Cardwell
Killian Hayes
Doug McDermott
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) March 15, 2026
The Kings will likely go with a starting lineup of Killian Hayes, Nique Clifford, DeMar DeRozan, Precious Achiuwa, and Maxime Raynaud, with a sparse group of Daeqwon Plowden, Dylan Cardwell, and Doug McDermott coming off the bench.
It will be interesting to see how this goes for the Kings, but to even the playing field, the Jazz have also ruled out eight players.
Jazz rule out several key players
Jan 30, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) reacts after a three point basket against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Delta Center. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images
The Jazz have been banged up all season, but they have seemingly reached a new low for Sunday’s game. Utah has ruled out eight players, including seven of their top nine scorers. Headlined by players like Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, and Ace Bailey, the Jazz will be severely shorthanded. The Jazz’s full injury report:
Ace Bailey – OUT (concussion protocol)Kyle Filipowski – OUT (rest)Keyonte George – OUT (right hamstring strain)Jaren Jackson Jr. – OUT (left knee injury recovery)Walker Kessler – OUT (left shoulder injury recovery)John Konchar – OUT (left calf injury management)Lauri Markkanen – OUT (right hip impingement)Jusuf Nurkic – OUT (nose injury recovery)
With both teams dealing with this many injuries, there is no telling how Sunday’s game will shake out. The Kings and Jazz could both benefit from a loss to help their place in the draft lottery, so this matchup could get pretty interesting.
The Kings and Jazz are set to tip off in Sacramento at 7:00 p.m. PT on Sunday.