SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings were missing three key players for their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Star big man Domantas Sabonis was ruled out for at least 10 days after an MRI determined he had a moderate right ankle sprain after getting hurt Monday night against Memphis.
Sacramento also was without star guard Zach LaVine, who missed the game for personal reasons, and Jake LaRavia, who was out with an illness.
“We got players who are chomping at the bit to play,” coach Doug Christie said. “So the opportunity presents itself to you. I believe in all of them. It’s unfortunate. But when opportunity presents itself that’s why we’re a team. It's not an individual sport. It's a team sport. So we need to come together as a team this evening.”
Sabonis had just returned to the lineup last week after missing six games with a hamstring injury. Sabonis leads the NBA with 13.9 rebounds per game to go along with 19.2 points and 6.2 assists per contest.
Jonas Valanciunas is expected to replace him in the lineup starting in Wednesday night's game against Cleveland.
The Kings, who are 3-6 this season without Sabonis, entered the day in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Christie said he was hopeful that LaVine and LaRavia would be able to return on Thursday against the Bulls.
LaVine is averaging 22.7 points in 18 games since joining the Kings in a trade from Chicago in February.
LaRavia is averaging 5.4 points per game this season.
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland missed the game for rest after Cleveland played Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine looks towards the basket during a free throw during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies Monday, March 17, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, right, makes a driving layup on Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 17, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England kept its main U.K. interest rate unchanged at 4.50% on Thursday even though the economy is barely growing and the nation faces more uncertainty in light of the tariff policies being enacted by the Trump administration in the U.S.
The decision by the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee was widely expected, and comes a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve also kept interest rates unchanged.
Minutes from the meeting showed that eight members voted to keep policy unchanged, with one backing a quarter-point reduction.
The rate-setting panel has reduced the Bank of England’s main rate from a 16-year high of 5.25% by a quarter of a percentage on three occasions since last August, most recently in February, after inflation fell from the multi-decade highs of over 10% reached in the wake of the sharp spike in energy prices following Russia's full-blown invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 .
However, inflation, at 3%, remains above the bank’s 2% target and is set to push higher in coming months, even without accounting for any tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Many economists think it could rise as high as 4% in the coming months as businesses are raise prices as a result of a big increase in the minimum wage and higher payroll taxes.
“There’s a lot of economic uncertainty at the moment," said Bank Gov. Andrew Bailey. “We still think that interest rates are on a gradually declining path, but we’ve held them at 4.5% today.”
If policymakers continue to pursue their recent gradual approach, then another cut is likely in May, when they will be armed with the bank’s latest economic projections and Bank Gov. Andrew Bailey next holds a press conference.
Bailey said rate-setters will be “looking very closely at how the global and domestic economies are evolving” and that whatever happens, "it’s our job to make sure that inflation stays low and stable.”
The U.S. Federal Reserve, which kept borrowing rates unchanged Wednesday, also expressed uncertainty about the near-term economic outlook, particularly in light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which economists worry would lower global growth and lead to an uptick in prices.
The British economy, the sixth-largest, eked out modest growth of 0.1% in the fourth quarter, a hugely disappointing outcome for the new Labour government, which has made boosting growth its number one economic policy. Since the global financial crisis in 2008-2009, the British economy’s growth performance has been notably below its long-run average.
Critics say Treasury chief Rachel Reeves is partly responsible for the gloomy economic news since Labour returned to power in July after 14 years, because she was overly downbeat when taking on her role and has since increased taxes, particularly on businesses.
Reeves, who on March 26 will deliver a keenly-watched statement on the state of the public finances to lawmakers, will be hoping that the Bank of England does cut borrowing rates further over coming months as it will likely help shore up growth.
Economists said the latest update from the bank did little to clear up the outlook, though most said a further quarter-point reduction in May remained on the cards.
“But beyond that, much will depend on trade policy out of the U.S. and the fiscal announcements coming from the Chancellor,” said Luke Bartholomew, deputy chief economist at asset management firm Aberdeen.
FILE - General view of the Bank of England, in London, Monday, May 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
A woman walks past the Bank of England, at the financial district, in London, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
A woman walks past the Bank of England, at the financial district, in London, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
