Domantas Sabonis records triple-double in comeback vs. Miami Heat

Former Zag led the Kings to a 17-point comeback against the Heat

Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Domantas Sabonis came up clutch for the Sacramento Kings in a thrilling double-overtime victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night.

The former Gonzaga men’s basketball standout made big plays on both ends of the floor to help his team overcome a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter and come away with a 123-118 victory from the Golden 1 Center. Sabonis finished with 21 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists in a career-high 50 minutes while going 7-of-16 from the field.

The Heat appeared to be on its way to snapping the Kings’ four-game winning streak after going on a 25-8 scoring run over the course of the second half to take a commanding double-digit in the fourth quarter. Not much had been clicking offensively for the home team all night, especially without De’Aaron Fox in the lineup.

Down 85-68 with 10:26 left in regulation, Keon Ellis knocked down some timely 3-pointers to spark a late rally from the Kings. Then as DeMar DeRozan started to turn up offensively, his teammates got the job done defensively to stall the Heat in crunch time. 

The Kings pulled within two points with under a minute to play in the fourth quarter before Sabonis capitalized on an opportunity to tie things up at 102 apiece at the free-throw line. The All-NBA forward was fouled inexplicably by Haywood Highsmith about 94 feet from Sacramento’s hoop after snatching a rebound off a missed 3-pointer from Miami. Sabonis went 2-of-2 at the foul line.

In overtime, Sabonis came through yet again on both ends of the floor, this time to put the final touches on the Kings’ comeback effort. The 6-foot-11 post rejected a layup attempt from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and knocked the ball off a Heat player just in time to grant Sacramento possession with 51 seconds and a chance to tie or take the lead. 

Sabonis chose the latter, as he found the bottom of the net on an opener 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 111-110 in favor of the Kings with 41 seconds on the clock. Terry Rozier put the Heat out in front with a pair of free throws, though Ellis answered with a 1-for-2 showing at the charity stripe the next time down to send the game into a double-overtime.

Up 121-118 in the final minute of double overtime, the Kings clinched their fifth straight win after Sabonis secured an offensive rebounding, leading to a second chance bucket for DeRozan to seal the win.

With the victory, the Kings move to 18-19 on the season, good enough for 11th in the Western Conference. They entered Monday off the heels of an impressive 129-99 triumph over Golden State from Sunday night.

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