Kings Star Zach LaVine Suffers Injury During Timberwolves Game

The Sacramento Kings' guard suffered an ankle injury during their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Nov 16, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) walks up the court in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings will be shorthanded for the rest of their matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kings star guard Zach LaVine rolled his ankle with about two minutes left in the second quarter during Sunday's matchup with the Timberwolves, and he would not return coming out of the break. The Kings officially ruled him out for the remainder of the contest with an ankle injury.

From Kings:
INJURY UPDATE vs. Minnesota Timberwolves 12/14 Zach LaVine (Left Ankle) - WILL NOT RETURN

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) December 15, 2025

Zach LaVine exits Kings game early

LaVine will finish his night with ten points on 4-8 shooting from the field, as he was a plus-six through 16 minutes. The two-time All-Star has had his ups and downs throughout the season, but his injury could certainly take a toll on the Kings for this big matchup in Minnesota.

Heading into Sunday's matchup, LaVine has averaged 20.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game with 48.6/38.9/86.6 shooting splits. LaVine missed the Kings' last outing with thumb soreness, which resulted in a 31-point blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets, and now they have to play the second half of Sunday's game without him as well.

Zach LaVine went to the locker room after rolling his left ankle on this play pic.twitter.com/CX9p9QUYZ9

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) December 15, 2025

Finding a silver lining

Of course, LaVine's injury is brutal, but is playing without the two-time All-Star the worst thing that could happen to this Kings team?

The Kings inserted rookie guard Nique Clifford into the lineup to start the second half in place of LaVine, and these Sacramento fans cannot get enough of the first-round talent. Sure, Clifford has not been as impactful as fans would like, but that is why they want to see more reps out of him.

The Kings also need to get adjusted to life without LaVine, as it would not shock anyone if the star guard were traded ahead of February's deadline. While LaVine has a huge contract that very few teams around the NBA want to touch, it is no secret that the Kings are attempting to get rid of him.

There is no telling if this ankle injury will make LaVine miss extra time beyond Sunday's game, but it could be the beginning of the end of his career in Sacramento.

More importantly, the Kings are trying to pull out a huge road upset win in Minnesota without their leading scorer, but there is a strong chance that this team could play better without LaVine on the floor.

After Sunday's game, the Kings will have three days off before facing the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.