Indiana Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis had a brilliant outing during Wednesday's victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played so well that he has etched his name on the team's history books.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Sabonis is the first player with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a game in Pacers history. For what it's worth, he ended the contest with a 36-17-10 stat line.
Domantas Sabonis had 36 pts, 17 rebs & 10 ast tonight in a win vs the Timberwolves.
He is the first Pacers player with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a game since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976-77 pic.twitter.com/2uiEAYW24r
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 18, 2021
Indiana has a record of quality, big men such as Rik Smits, Jermaine O'Neal and Roy Hibbert (for a couple of years). In just his fourth season with the Pacers, Domantas Sabonis should definitely be included on that list.
Entering the matchup with the Timberwolves, he has been putting up 21.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists per contest. Myles Turner is the perfect complement to Sabonis, as he covers for him on the defensive end. Even then, the Lithuanian big has a high motor on both ends of the floor.
The Pacers are sitting on a 15-14 record after their latest win, which places them fourth in the Eastern Conference. Sure enough, Sabonis is a big reason why, and Indiana will need him in a conference that also features elite bigs like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
While Turner will have the unenviable assignment of guarding Embiid and Antetokounmpo, having an interior scorer like Sabonis will be able to put pressure on the two as they play defense. This should tire them out over the course of several games.
Sabonis is the son of international basketball legend Arvydas Sabonis. The elder was no longer in his prime when he joined the NBA, but he was still a solid center and was integral to several, strong Portland Trail Blazers squads. At the rate his son is playing, Domantas should be able to step out of his father's huge shadow.
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