NBA Notes: Bucks, Taurean Prince, Kings, Domantas Sabonis, Celtics

Bucks

Bucks reserve forward Taurean Prince is facing a long absence. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Prince has a herniated disc in his neck and is expected to miss significant time.

Milwaukee confirmed the injury in a team release, noting he underwent an MRI last week and will be sidelined indefinitely while doctors sort the treatment plan.

Prince, 31, has appeared in eight games so far. He was 0-for-5 from the field in his last outing against the Raptors and hasn’t played since. He averaged 6.1 points in 21.1 minutes. Prince started 73 games last season and shot a career-best 43.9 percent on threes.

Coach Doc Rivers has leaned into smaller looks with A.J. Green and Gary Trent Jr. on the wings. Prince’s absence could mean more minutes for Kyle Kuzma and Amir Coffey, depending on matchups.

Prince re-signed this summer on a two-year vet minimum deal.

Kings

Domantas Sabonis came back Sunday after missing two games with a rib contusion, but it still resulted in a blowout home loss to the Timberwolves.

Per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, Sabonis played through what he described as “a sharp stab” any time he moved, so this wasn’t one of those light maintenance absences.

He still put up 20 points and 13 rebounds in 30 minutes, but this has been a strange start statistically — 15.3 points on 47.7 percent shooting and just 15.4 percent from three.

Sacramento desperately needs Sabonis to regain that calming, offensive hub status he enjoyed last season.

Meanwhile, Dennis Schroder is also struggling a bit. He’s 1-for-16 shooting over his last two games.

Schroder says he’s “not comfortable yet” and needs to find where he fits, via Sean Cunningham of KCRA News.

It’s remarkably early, but the Kings look out of rhythm, and it’s not just one guy.

Celtics

The Celtics used unconventional lineups to close out a nice win at Orlando on Sunday. Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza all closed over Jaylen Brown. Walsh drilled the dagger three with 12.4 seconds left. 

Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported that Walsh genuinely didn’t expect the ball — he thought Brown would take it — and coach Joe Mazzulla said afterward that this is the exact type of moment he’s trying to build reps for.

Meanwhile, Anfernee Simons put up 25 points in his first 14 minutes, forcing Orlando to change coverages. And Garza quietly had his best game as a Celtic with 16 points, eight rebounds, energy and general impact.

Brian Robb of MassLive noted Boston had been outscored by 43 points in Garza’s previous 46 minutes, so he needed a game like this.

At any rate, Mazzulla said these reps are non-negotiable if Boston wants real depth by the end of the season.