Milestone Night For Sabonis Secures Sacramento Win

On a night when Domantas Sabonis took only five shots and had 11 points, his impact was second-to-none in Sacramento’s win Monday night over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Understated as his performances are, Sabonis quietly made history by setting a post-NBA/ABA merger record.

With 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, Sabonis pushed Sacramento to a 108-96 win and set the record for most consecutive games with a double-double (54) since Elvin Hayes in 1974.

True to form, he reached this milestone with fundamentals: being in the right place for a rebound and getting an easier layup from it.

Rebound, putback… 54 STRAIGHT double-doubles for Domantas Sabonis, the longest such streak since 1976-77! pic.twitter.com/Ps4gqnACDV

— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2024

 Another day in the office

Sabonis has quietly had his best season statistically and one of the most impressive stat lines from a frontcourt player in NBA history.

He is averaging 19.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, adding in nearly one steal a game while shooting 40% from deep.

Monday’s milestone is a culmination of an outstanding all-around season for a player who was surprisingly left out of this year’s All-Star Game.

However, there was no lack of appreciation for Sabonis from his teammates, coaches and fans.

https://twitter.com/NBCSKings/status/1772473629072355788

Rounding into playoff shape

As Monday’s win keeps the Kings in sixth place and out of the Western Conference play-in, Sacramento needs every win down the stretch.

Sabonis’ heroics matter more and more as the Kings still sit only two games out of home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

But for now, Sabonis can relish in a historic season.

In addition to breaking Kevin Love’s post-merger record for consecutive double-doubles, Sabonis also reached 25 triple-doubles on the season.

He is only the fifth player to achieve that mark in a single season.

DHO.
Drive middle.
Draw help.
Drop the dime.

Domantas Sabonis is the FIFTH PLAYER EVER with 25 triple-doubles in an NBA season! pic.twitter.com/YMCSK74S1W

— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2024

Up next

Sabonis and the Kings will be put the test Tuesday and Friday as they match up with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in back-to-back games.

Sitting at 42-29, Sacramento shares the same record as Dallas, but holds a tiebreaker over the Mavericks for the sixth seed.

After etching his name into NBA history, Sabonis will have to keep this pace going in a week that could be crucial for Sacramento’s playoff push.