NEW YORK — Domantas Sabonis delivered an impressive performance on Monday night, achieving 21 points, 22 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking his seventh triple-double of the season. Meanwhile, De’Aaron Fox contributed significantly with 30 points, leading the Sacramento Kings to a 110-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. This win comes as a relief for the Kings, who had recently experienced a two-game losing streak.
In addition to Fox and Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan also made a notable impact with 17 points, while Malik Monk added 16 points for Sacramento. After trailing by seven points at halftime, the Kings mounted a strong comeback, outpacing the Nets 33-24 in the third quarter, which allowed them to take an 80-78 lead into the final period.
Sacramento continued to build on their momentum with a decisive 13-2 run, highlighted by a three-pointer from Keegan Murray from the corner across from the Nets bench, extending their lead to 97-85 with just over six minutes left on the clock.
On the Nets’ side, D’Angelo Russell scored 19 points, and Tosan Evboumwan contributed 15 points off the bench. However, the Nets have hit a rough patch, now facing eight straight losses and struggling without Ben Simmons, who has been sidelined for five games due to persistent lower back issues.
Adding to the Nets’ woes, forward Noah Clowney suffered a sprained left ankle when he attempted to block a shot from DeRozan and landed awkwardly on Sabonis’ foot. Clowney had to exit the game with help shortly after the incident occurred with 3:13 left in the second quarter.
Key Takeaways: The Kings significantly turned the game around by outscoring the Nets 63-42 in the second half after being down 54-47 at halftime. Conversely, this ongoing losing streak for the Nets is their longest since they faced a similar situation in early 2022, when they dropped 11 consecutive games.
A pivotal moment came when the Kings were down by nine points with just over ten minutes remaining in the third quarter; Fox ignited a 12-0 rally with eight points during that stretch. By the end of the quarter, he had tallied 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting and went a perfect four-for-four from the free-throw line.
In terms of notable statistics, Sabonis made history by becoming only the fifth player in the franchise’s history to achieve at least 20 games with 20 or more rebounds.
Looking ahead, the Nets will be traveling to Charlotte for their next game, while the Kings have a matchup against Philadelphia on the horizon.
