Rocket Man: Sabonis’ monster triple-double powers Kings to win over Houston

Jan 13, 2023, 11:08 PM | Updated: Jan 14, 2023, 9:41 am

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

It was Deja Vu for the Sacramento Kings as they entered the halftime break of Friday night’s game against the Houston Rockets in another close battle.

Much like Wednesday night’s game against Houston, the Kings needed to take a stand in the second half if they wanted to end a five-game home stand with three-straight wins.

Thanks to an electric opening to the third quarter that included strong play from stars Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento blew the game open after outscoring the Rockets 43-26 in the third. Houston never responded, and the Kings were able to secure a 139-114 victory in front of a sold-out crowd at Golden 1 Center.

With the win, Sacramento improved to 23-18 on the season, marking the first time since April 2006 that the franchise has held a record of five games over .500 or better.

Entering play on Friday, the Kings were 0-7 this season when attempting to secure that elusive fifth game, but they finally cleared the hurdle by picking up another win against the lowly Rockets. For the first time in almost 17 years, Sacramento is five games over .500 as they continue to stack wins and bolster their position in the Western Conference standings.

The Kings’ lead in the Pacific Division also grew a full game following the Los Angeles Clippers’ loss to Denver, as Sacramento now holds a 2.5-game lead as we pass the regular season’s midway point.

The Domas-De'Aaron connection has G1C rockin' pic.twitter.com/bAuF47FvOs

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 14, 2023

After entering the third quarter with a slim 69-66 lead against a Rockets offense that currently ranks 29th in the NBA when it comes to scoring, the Kings did what they did just 48 hours prior:

Lock in on both ends of the floor.

Sabonis had a big hand in turning this game’s trajectory from a hard-fought battle into a laugher as the two-time All-Star secured a triple-double–his fourth of the season, which is the third-most in the NBA–before play entered the fourth quarter.

With Sabonis doing it all, Fox scoring with efficiency, and Harrison Barnes flirting with a 30-point outing, Sacramento completely took over by way of a 17-4 run that put Houston in a deep hole–one that they wouldn’t recover from down the final stretch.

The Kings’ offense continues to show its sharp teeth as they ate up Houston’s lethargic defense on Friday. The 139-point finish marked a new franchise record for consecutive games with 130+ points (four games), as three players scored 20 points or more during the win.

Sabonis was the star of the night as the 26-year-old established another historic stat-line over a memorable 37 minutes of action.

The All-Star finished the night with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and a career-high 16 assists while also carrying his weight on the defensive end, as Sabonis racked up two steals and two blocks as a cherry on top to his incredible performance.

Only two players in Sacramento Kings franchise history have posted 19+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 16+ assists in a single game:

Domantas Sabonis and Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson, who did so 15 times during his tenure with the organization–most recently on January 8, 1965.

“Pretty cool,” Sabonis said postgame when asked for his thoughts on joining Robertson on the exclusive list. “Most important thing is that we ended up getting a win, especially that it came on back-to-back games against the same opponent.”

Domantas Sabonis is tonight's recipient of the Defensive Player of the Game chain. Well deserved. pic.twitter.com/YlDQghlnJG

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) January 14, 2023

Sabonis secured the Defensive Player of the Game chain for his efforts on the defensive end, as the center leads the team in DPOG awards this season (three times).

It’s hard to fathom what Sabonis has been able to do with his broken right thumb, as he continues to post massive numbers night in and night out with one fully-healthy hand. The Kings are currently one of the best teams in the Western Conference, and it’s all because of what Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox bring to the table on a nightly basis.

Fox finished the night with 24 points (eight-of-14 shooting from the field), five rebounds, and five assists during the win as he continued to add to his case for a spot on the Western Conference All-Star team.

The 25-year-old recently jumped into the top 10 of the recent fan voting totals, but Kings head coach Mike Brown says that both Fox and Sabonis deserve more love in the All-Star discussion.

“They’re just not getting enough love,” Brown said of his stars not receiving mass attention in the fan voting portion of the NBA All-Star selection process. “It’s a shame.”

Sabonis seems like a near-lock to make the All-Star team as coaches and media will vote the reserves in for February 19th’s mid-season showcase in Salt Lake City. Fox’s case is strong, but he will have to go against the likes of Damian Lillard and Devin Booker for one of the final guard spots in the West.

All-Star game or not, Sacramento’s star duo has led this team to an incredible start that almost nobody saw coming. Don’t tell that to the Kings, though.

“We all believe that we’re good enough to host a playoff game,” Kings guard Terence Davis said on Friday. “That’s just our mindset. Mike Brown instilled it in us from being in a winning program for so many years.”

These Kings believe–and to this point, they have proven they are worth believing in.

Takeaways & Notes

Sabonis Keeps Chugging Along

Domantas Sabonis isn’t human.

After breaking his right thumb on December 23rd, it looked like the big man would be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Instead, Sabonis has posted MVP-like numbers with one fully-functional hand.

The Sabonis train is going full steam ahead–and so are the Kings, who hold a 6-3 record following the big man’s return from a one-game absence.

Domantas Sabonis fractured his right thumb on December 23rd.

These are his numbers since the injury took place:

22.1 PTS
12.6 REB
8.1 AST
61% FG
38% 3PT
9 double-doubles
Sacramento's record: 6-3

Sabonis isn't human. pic.twitter.com/tFmVS7n9Kg

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) January 14, 2023

Black Falcon Keeps Soaring

Harrison Barnes continues to prove his worth.

Barnes topped the 16-point mark for the seventh-straight game as the veteran forward scored a team-high 27 points on eight-of-14 shooting from the field and five-of-eight from downtown over 36 minutes of play.

The Davion strip leads to a HB 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/UCouKe4YmZ

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 14, 2023

TD Fills In For Huerter

Sacramento has missed starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter over the past two games, but Terence Davis has done an admirable job filling in for the sharpshooting guard.

Davis finished the night with 22 points (seven-of-14 shooting), six rebounds, three assists, and three steals over 30 minutes.

Scuffle at G1C

There was some late drama in Friday’s game, as a play between Rockets guard Garrison Matthews and Kings guard Malik Monk resulted in both players being ejected.

Kings big Chimezie Metu and Rockets forward Tari Eason were also sent packing for adding to the scuffle.

Monk was productive during his short stint on Friday, as the guard scored 15 points on four-of-five shooting from deep over 15 minutes before being tossed during the fourth quarter.

Players on both teams had to be held back after this scuffle between Malik Monk and Garrison Mathews pic.twitter.com/Eky5ixHUgW

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 14, 2023

Slamson was ready to go, for what it’s worth.

Slamson is ready. pic.twitter.com/a5ucN2Ie7d

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) January 14, 2023

Injury Updates

Kevin Huerter (return to competition conditioning) missed his second-straight game on Friday night.

The 24-year-old missed Wednesday night’s game due to a non-COVID illness and is working his way back into game shape after being away from the team for three days.

Huerter participated in Sacramento’s pregame shoot-around on Friday, meaning a return on Sunday is possible.

Sacramento Kings Postgame Show

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Next Game

Sacramento will open up a brief two-game road trip on Sunday afternoon when they face the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Spurs coverage on Sactown Sports 1140 starting at 2:30 pm PST on Game Night before action tips off at 4:00 pm PST from downtown San Antonio.