The Sacramento Kings are sinking during the dog days of the regular season and they struggled mightily against the Suns on Tuesday night without Marcus Thornton and John Salmons healthy enough to play. As Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and the Clippers make their way to Sacramento on Thursday night, the Kings will be without both of their starters once again.
Here is the latest from the Sacramento Bee:
The Kings will again be without leading scorer Marcus Thornton tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers, head coach Keith Smart said after the team's shootaround this morning.
Thornton is still recovering from a bruised left calf sustained Monday night against the Timberwolves that kept him out of the Kings' loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. Smart said Thornton is "walking much better but still not ready to get on the floor and play yet."
John Salmons, meanwhile, is expected to miss his sixth consecutive game with a sore right hip.
Smart said Salmons was at the Kings' practice facility getting treatment on the Kings' off-day yesterday and is "doing everything he can to possibly get back on the floor," but is not ready to return.
The Kings were clearly lost without their leading scorer in Thornton earlier in the week, and their little depth at the small forward position is exposed even more whenever Salmons is unable to play. The Clippers are coming off a tough loss last night so there is a chance Sacramento catches them on an off night, but it's tough to see the team winning without these two starters in the lineup.
For more on the Kings, head on over to Sactown Royalty.