When Sacramento Kings traveled to confront Phoenix Suns On Sunday, star sixth man Malik Monk left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and the Kings had to win in overtime without him.

The Kings were able to pull off Sunday’s win thanks to All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan’s clutch gene, but unfortunate news came for Sacramento in Wednesday’s rematch between the two Pacific Division rivals.

The Kings announced that DeRozan, who left the game with a lower back strain, will not return for Wednesday’s game against the Suns.

Although DeRozan played 17 minutes in the first half, he did not start the second half with the team. In the first half, DeRozan made only two shots and made one accurate shot, ending the night with 2 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks.

Guard Keon Ellis, who stood out in place of DeRozan, started the second half. The Kings are definitely losing some volume with Ellis on the roster, but Ellis has proven to be one of the best young defenders in the NBA and that could come in handy.

The Kings took a five-point lead into halftime, thanks in large part to tremendous play from All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox. With Monk and DeRozan sidelined, it puts a lot of offensive responsibility on Fox, but it’s nothing he can’t handle.

If Sacramento can start the season series against the Suns with two straight wins, it will give the team significant momentum going forward, even if they play a Phoenix team missing Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

DeRozan has been a stud for the Kings this season, so the team needs to hope their newest star can recover without any issues and return for Friday’s NBA Cup Division II play. Minnesota Timberwolves.

Follow the Sacramento Kings on SI Facebook And excitement.

S.subscribe YouTube For Kings breaking news videos and livestream podcasts!