Going up against the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans, who have gone 8-19 entering Monday night ever since Zion Williamson suffered an injury, the Sacramento Kings had a golden opportunity to trim the gap between them and the two-seed Memphis Grizzlies. After all, the Grizzlies are currently in the middle of a tailspin as a franchise. However, with De'Aaron Fox unable to suit up due to a hamstring injury, a victory was far from a guarantee. But thanks to Domantas Sabonis, the Kings managed to take care of business.
In 34 minutes of action, Sabonis proved that he was far and away the best player on the court tonight. The Lithuanian center dropped his eighth triple-double of the season, a 19-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist effort to lead the way for the Kings en route to a 123-108 victory. And in doing so, he's now inching ever so closely to a 50-year old Kings franchise record.
Domantas Sabonis is now only five triple-doubles away from overtaking Norm Van Lier for the most triple-doubles in a single season in Kings franchise history. Sabonis' eight triple-doubles also marks the most for a Kings player since Van Lier accomplished the feat in just his second season in the NBA, according to ESPN Stats & Info. In addition to this incredible accomplishment, Sabonis also narrowed the gap between him and Luka Doncic for the second-most triple-doubles this season. (Doncic has 10; the league-leader, Nikola Jokic, has 25.)
While Sabonis' output was certainly impressive, he was not alone in giving the Kings their 38th win of the season. Six other Kings scored in double digits amid De'Aaron Fox's absence, with Kevin Huerter leading all scorers with 25 points of his own.
This kind of performance from the Kings should not come as a surprise to anyone anymore. The only question now is just how far could the Kings fly, especially with the postseason only a little over a month away?
Making the playoffs may no longer be the sole goal for the Kings this season; as they've shown throughout the 2022-23 campaign, they might be here to stay in the upper echelon of the Western Conference, and it's thanks in large part to the outstanding night-in, night-out efforts from Domantas Sabonis.
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