The Sacramento Kings escaped their Saturday night contest against the Orlando Magic with a hard-fought 109-107 victory, and as he almost always does, Domantas Sabonis played a huge role in his team finding a way to come out on top. Sabonis racked up 21 points while hauling in 14 rebounds and dishing out eight assists, and in the process, he tied a prestigious record held by Kevin Love.
Sabonis has been racking up double-doubles all season long, and he's been doing so on pretty much a nightly basis for the Kings. His latest double-double against the Magic was his mind-boggling 53rd straight double-double, and that has put him into a tie with Kevin Love for the longest streak of consecutive games with a double-double in nearly 50 years.
“Domantas Sabonis had 21 points and 14 rebounds for Sacramento. It was his 53rd straight double-double, tying Kevin Love’s streak in 2010-11, which is the longest since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.” – ESPN
Domantas Sabonis, Kings lucky to escape with win over Magic
While Sabonis starred for the Kings once again in their latest win, it came down to the wire, with the result very nearly going against Sacramento. Late in the game, though, the Kings got the benefit of a controversial call that helped them hold on for the victory, and it's safe to say that the Magic weren't too pleased with how the game played out in the final minute.
With 25.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, De'Aaron Fox was inbounded the ball right by half court, where he was lightly tapped by Jalen Suggs. Fox lost his balance and fell backwards, and it appeared to be a backcourt violation that would have given Orlando the ball back with a one-point lead.
Instead, Suggs was called for a very late foul on Fox once he crossed over the half court line. The timing of the call given how late it came in, plus the fact that Fox was sent to the free throw line to give Sacramento the lead, made Orlando furious.
The Magic had a pair of chances to take the lead or tie, but they were unable to do so, ensuring that Sabonis' latest big game wouldn't go to waste. It's gotten to the point where it feels like he's bound to get a double-double every time he takes the floor, which certainly isn't something that can't be taken lightly. However, Sabonis just makes things look easy when he's playing for the Kings.
Now that he has tied Love's record, Sabonis will have a shot to break it on Monday night when the Kings return home to take on the Philadelphia 76ers. While nothing is guaranteed in the NBA, Sabonis has shown no signs of slowing down in his quest to get a double-double every time he takes the floor, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him make the record his own the next time Sacramento is on the court.
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