With 16 games remaining in the season, the Sacramento Kings' rotation got a little deeper Thursday morning. Rookie Marvin Bagley has been cleared to play Thursday evening against the Boston Celtics after missing the previous five games with a left knee sprain.
Bagley, who turned 20 on Thursday, went down in the third quarter of the Kings' overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks after tangling legs with Malcolm Brogdon on a screen. His initial diagnosis called for him to be reevaluated in 1-2 weeks. He was cleared to resume basketball activities earlier in the week and is right in line with the original projections.
Before the injury, the first-year pro was rolling. He'd posted three straight double-doubles and was averaging 24 points and 11.7 rebounds over the stretch.
The No. 2 overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft is averaging 13.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and a block in 24.8 minutes per game. He's missed 19 games this season due to injury.
There is no early word if Bagley has any minute restrictions or whether he will play in Sacramento's back-to-back game on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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In Bagley's absence, Nemanja Bjelica and Harry Giles have stepped in and played well. The Kings now have a roster full of healthy bodies for the stretch run.
