Marcus Thornton will be back on the court for the Sacramento Kings on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Thornton tweeted a message indicating he'd been cleared by doctors after sitting a week-plus with a hematoma on his quad. He'd practiced with full contact on Wednesday, but needed medical clearance Thursday.
Thornton hasn't been terribly consistent in his 14 games this season, but according to the Institute of Small Sample Sizes, the Kings are 5-9 when he plays and 1-6 in his absences. That's quite a difference! There hasn't been word as to whether he'll start at two-guard between Tyreke Evans and John Salmons, but that'd be the expectation.
The Kings host Portland at 7 p.m. Pacific.