DeMarcus Cousins Injury: Updates on Kings Star's Ankle and Return

DeMarcus Cousins missed the Kings' Jan. 17 game against the Los Angeles Clippers with an ankle injury. He would return two days later to start against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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Cousins Starts vs. Blazers

Monday, Jan. 19

The Kings' Twitter account confirmed that DeMarcus Cousins is in the starting lineup tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers:

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Cousins Misses Clippers Game With Ankle Injury

Saturday, Jan. 17

On the court, DeMarcus Cousins is playing the best basketball of his career. Off the court, a mix of health issues and a little old-fashioned Sacramento Kings instability have led to a somewhat frustrating 2014-15 campaign.

You can add another injury to that list, as Cousins will miss Saturday's game versus the Los Angeles Clippers with an ankle injury, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee:

Many felt that winning the FIBA World Cup gold medal during the summer did wonders for Cousins' maturity. Finally, he was ready to become one of the premier players in the NBA, and in the beginning of the season, that proved true.

Then Cousins missed a few weeks between the end of November and middle of December after suffering from viral meningitis. Not coincidentally, the Kings' hot start ceased and then-head coach Mike Malone was out of a job.

By the time the young power forward returned, Sacramento was fighting an uphill battle in order to get into the eighth spot.

Losing Cousins again for a prolonged period of time will likely mean the end of the Kings seriously being a postseason contender in the hyper-competitive Western Conference.