Domantas Sabonis leads Sacramento Kings to bounce back win vs. Houston Rockets

Former Gonzaga star scored a team-high 27 points to lead the Kings to their only NBA Cup victory

Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) shakes hands with guard De'Aaron Fox (5). / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

No double-double, still no problem for Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings as they got back in the win column with a 120-111 victory over the Houston Rockets at the Golden 1 Center on Tuesday night.

Sabonis scored a team-high 27 points on an efficient 13-of-19 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded four assists to help the Kings (10-12) right themselves back on course amid a rough patch over the last few weeks. Sacramento had lost six of its last seven contests and ranked in the bottom 10 of the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage (33.2%). Sabonis has been his usual self, recording a double-double in each of his past 18 appearances prior to Tuesday — but clearly something was missing.

Houston, meanwhile, had won three straight and 10 of its last 12. None of it seemed to matter after the opening tip, however, as Sacramento went 14-for-30 (46.7%) from deep and had a stretch of 15 consecutive made field goal attempts in the second quarter after a heated moment between De’Aaron Fox and Jabari Smith Jr. Following three technical fouls assed for the altercation, the Kings nearly went nine minutes of game time without missing a shot, while Sabonis knocked down four attempts in that stretch.

“We knew they were going to come out and play that way,” Sabonis said after his team’s win. “We just had to stick together and keep trusting our game.”

Domantas Sabonis finds gold on the loose ball and gets the and-one 💪pic.twitter.com/ee88g6PQV3

— Kings Nation (@KingsNationCP) December 4, 2024

No surprise the Kings put faith in their All-NBA forward when they needed to create separation from the feisty Rockets. After all, there aren’t many bigs in the association willing to bang and bruise their way to the cup quite like Sabonis can, especially when his opponent decides to play small-ball. Near the end of the first half, the 6-foot-11, 240-pound Lithuanian stuck Brooks right in the chest with a post move that had so much force behind it that the 6-foot-6 Canadian flailed to the floor while Sabonis sunk an easy 2-pointer over the top of him in the paint. 

Sabonis’ basket made it 42-38 with about 4:30 left before halftime. The Rockets answered the call to go back in front by double-digits near the 3-minute mark before the former Gonzaga standout went right back at Brooks in the pick-and-roll game. From there the Kings outscored the Rockets, 11-4, to trail 58-57 at halftime.

The hot shooting spree in the first half helped turn an 8-point deficit into a 12-point lead midway through the third quarter to give Sacramento its only win in four NBA Cup games. Fox added 22 points, Malik Monk had 17 points and a career-high 12 assists, and DeMar DeRozan scored 16 for the Kings.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Sabonis said. “We know our spots, we know our plays and the ball is just hopping around.”

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