He Kings of Sacramento achieved a spectacular victory as a visitor against the phoenix suns on Sunday, but it wasn’t a fairytale outing for the Kings. Sacramento’s star duo of De’Aaron Fox and DeMar DeRozan dominated, scoring all 16 of the Kings’ points in overtime, showing just how dangerous this team can be down the stretch.

Sacramento’s bench unit took a brutal hit in Sunday’s victory, when star sixth man Malik Monk suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and did not return.

Monk has officially suffered a sprained right ankle and will miss Monday night’s road game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Monk finished as the NBA Sixth Man of the Year runner-up last season, being a serious contender for the award every year since arriving in Sacramento. Without Monk, Sacramento’s bench has a big hole and the Kings face a serious test with him sidelined.

Sacramento’s starting lineup has been one of the best in the NBA to start the new season, but its second unit has been mediocre.

Monk averaged 13.6 points and 2.9 assists in the first nine games of the season, playing 27 minutes per game. The only other real contributor off the bench for Sacramento has been Keon Ellis, a defensive specialist, who may not have the tools to take on Monk’s offensive role.

The Kings face a dangerous Spurs team in the second leg of a back-to-back when bench unity is more vital than ever. Sacramento’s stars will have to step up to cover the glaring hole in their second unit.

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