The Sacramento Kings took on their California rivals, the LA Clippers, tonight, looking to break a 10-game losing streak as former teammates De’Andre Hunter and Darius Garland’s new teams face off. However, one moment stole the attention from the matchup when Hunter left the game due to an injury. Here’s what happened.

Why Did De’Andre Hunter Leave the Game? What Injury Did He Suffer?

With about 2:06 left in the third quarter, Hunter took a shot to his left eye from a Clippers defender, causing him to hit the floor, clearly distressed. A closer angle of the fall showed Hunter bleeding from his eye, causing the team to take a quick timeout, before escorting the forward, who had a towel pressed over his eye, to the locker room.

He was replaced in the game by Daeqwon Plowden, and after some time, was ruled out of the rest of the matchup. He was a major acquisition this deadline for the Kings, and his status will likely be monitored closely as the team hopes to be competitive. This is also especially unfortunate for Hunter, for whom this was his second game with the Kings.

How Did De’Andre Hunter Perform Before Leaving?

Unfortunately, Hunter struggled during his time on the floor today. In about 24 minutes, the forward made just one of his eight shots, and turned the ball over three times, finishing with six points and a rebound, focusing his energy on the defensive end, where he seemed to be doing well.

This season has been a down-year for the forward, who has experienced a steep drop-off in his efficiency, going from 47/40.5/84.6 splits in 2024-25 to 42/31.1/ 86.3 this season. The three-point numbers in particular are the worst of his career, and caused him to become expendable to the Cavaliers.

How Did the Sacramento Kings Adjust Without Hunter?

After Hunter’s injury, he was replaced in the lineup by reserve forward Plowden, who made the most of his 14 minutes on the floor, logging eight quick points. However, most of the scoring burden off the bench was taken by wings Malik Monk and Nique Clifford, as well as some rebounding support from Dylan Cardwell. Monk and Clifford combined for 30 points, and Cardwell chipped in 14 points and rebounds, eight of which were offensive.

Unfortunately, their efforts weren’t enough. The Clippers came out with blistering force, knocking down a barrage of shots. Their entire starting lineup finished with double-digit points, with Kawhi Leonard continuing his best scoring season to date with a 31-point outing.

The Kings missed Domantas Sabonis dearly, especially considering the lack of size amidst the frontcourt players they fielded, as well as a complete lack on interior scorers. Tonight also marked a forgettable night from the starters, with rookie Maxime Raynaud being the only one to score above six points.

For now, the hope is that Hunter’s injury is not anything serious, and that he can return soon. However, given their already poor record, the best case scenario might just be to wait until he’s back to 100%, especially as they continue to be the worst team in the league.