NBA: Domantas Sabonis racks up triple-double as Kings dump Rockets
Domantas Sabonis #10 and De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings react after Trey Lyles #41 made a three-point basket against the Houston Rockets in the second half at Golden 1 Center on January 11, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
Domantas Sabonis recorded his fourth triple-double of the season, Terence Davis fueled a third-quarter flurry with consecutive 3-pointers and the Sacramento Kings made it two wins over the visiting Houston Rockets in three days with a 139-114 blitz Friday night.
Sabonis, who missed a triple-double by one assist in Wednesday’s 135-115 victory in the opener of the two-game, same-site set, put up a career-best 16 assists this time around to complement 19 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in Sacramento’s third straight win.
Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. each scored 27 points for the Rockets, who lost their ninth straight.
The rematch ended with some bad blood, with the Kings’ Malik Monk and Chimezie Metu, and the Rockets’ Garrison Mathews and Tari Eason all ejected in the fourth quarter for scuffling after Mathews bumped Monk while they chased down an errant pass into the backcourt by Houston’s Josh Christopher.
Big night from Domantas Sabonis in the Kings W.
19 points
15 rebounds
16 assists— NBA (@NBA) January 14, 2023
After a tight first half that saw Green score 25 of his points, Alperen Sengun’s layup in the third minute of the third quarter drew the Rockets even for one final time at 75-all before the Kings took command.
De’Aaron Fox had eight points, Sabonis six and Davis his two 3-pointers in a 26-8 burst over five minutes that propelled Sacramento into a 101-83 lead.
The Kings led by 20 after completing a 43-point quarter, then coasted home to complete a 3-2 homestand that began with a pair of losses.
Sabonis’ triple-double was the first of his career with at least 15 points, rebounds and assists. The only other player to accomplish the feat this season has been Denver’s Nikola Jokic in a Christmas win over the Phoenix Suns when he compiled 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists.
Sabonis was outscored by three teammates, with Harrison Barnes leading with 27, Fox adding 24 points and Davis 22.
Monk added 15 before his ejection and Trey Lyles 13 off the bench for the Kings, who shot 54.7 percent and made 20 of their 40 3-point attempts. Barnes and Monk led the long-distance attack on 5-for-8 and 4-for-5 nights, respectively.
Green shot 10-for-21, but just 1-for-6 in the second half after almost single-handedly keeping the Rockets in the game for 24 minutes. Smith’s 27 points came on 11-for-20 shooting.
Sengun, who recorded a triple-double in Wednesday’s loss, finished with 14 points, six rebounds and seven assists to go with a game-high four steals.
The Rockets lost despite shooting 47.3 percent.
