Kings' Star Sharpshooter Status Update vs. Heat

The Sacramento Kings lost to the Toronto Raptors 131-128 in a thrilling overtime matchup on Saturday, as both teams were missing key players and on the second leg of a back-to-back.

The Kings were without starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter, who was ruled out just hours before tip-off due to an illness. Veteran forward and recent addition Doug McDermott surprisingly started in Huerter's place, scoring just four points in 15 minutes of action.

Sacramento's starting lineup of De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis has statistically been the best five-man lineup in the NBA this season, so it was clear the Kings were desperately missing their sharpshooting two-guard.

The Kings travel to play the Miami Heat on Monday as part of a three-game, four-day grueling road series, but Huerter's status remains up in the air.

Huerter has officially been granted the "questionable" designation ahead of Monday's matchup in Miami.

Through five starts this season, Huerter is averaging 11.6 points per game on 48.9/37.5 shooting splits. While he has certainly struggled at times, Huerter is coming off a seven-month hiatus after suffering a shoulder injury that ended his 2023-24 campaign in March.

If Huerter is to miss Monday's matchup in South Beach, Kings head coach Mike Brown has another vital lineup decision to make. After replacing him with McDermott on Saturday, Brown would be expected to revert back to 24-year-old defensive standout Keon Ellis to take his place.