After a convincing victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Sacramento Kings traveled to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday evening for an NBA Cup Group Play match.

The Kings jumped out to a five-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but Portland dominated the second quarter and took a four-point lead at halftime. But everyone knows that all King’s matches are won or lost in the third period, so only time will tell.

Sacramento is playing short-handed with star forward DeMar DeRozan, backup forward Trey Lyles and rookie guard Devin Carter all sidelined, and another hit to the lineup could put a dent in their rotation.

Early in the second quarter, Kings sharpshooter Kevin Huerter had to leave the game with an ankle injury and has officially been ruled out for the remainder of Friday’s game.

The 26-year-old Huerter has had a fairly disappointing start to his 2024-25 season, averaging just 9.4 points and shooting an abysmal 28 percent from deep. Either way, he’s most valuable when defenders know to stick with him, freeing up space for shot makers like De’Aaron Fox to go to work.

Huerter recently lost his starting spot to young guard Keon Ellis, and his role on the bench has severely diminished. Huerter played a combined 24 minutes in the previous two games, despite averaging nearly 27 minutes per night on the season.

Sacramento’s wing depth is already a major problem, so Huerter’s health is critical no matter how poorly he performs.

Follow Sacramento Kings on SI Facebook And Tweet.

Ssubscribe to YouTube for the latest Kings news videos and livestream podcasts!