By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Sacramento Kings beat Utah Jazz 126-125 thanks to a clutch three-pointer from Kevin Huerter with 10 seconds on the clock, but Domantas Sabonis was the man of the hour after the game.
The Lithuanian center ended the match with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, shooting perfect 12/12 from the field (2/2 from the three-point line). All of that was with an avulsion fracture of the ligament in his right thumb.
He is trying to play through the injury, rather than undergoing surgery, and as head coach of the Kings Mike Brown noted, two hand specialists permitted him to play, convinced he won’t be risking further injury.
“He’s tough. I’ve been around a lot of guys in my 30, 31 years in the NBA, and, man, he ranks right up there in guys that are tough as nails, and then that just play so fricking hard every single possession. What he did in the last game doesn’t surprise me at all,” Brown said.
But, that didn’t mean he was painless. Multiple times during the game Sabonis showed signs of discomfort.
“I definitely noticed it when Kevin high-fived me on my right hand when he was mad. I try not to think about it,” Sabonis admitted feeling pain.
Kings‘ hero Kevin Huerter was in awe of his teammate.
“The guy’s got a broken thumb and he didn’t miss a shot. He’s playing All-NBA level basketball,” Huerter said after the game.
De’Aaron Fox believes Sabonis is among the best big men in the NBA.
“For me, it’s (Nikola) Jokic, (Joel) Embiid, and (Sabonis). Those are the top three centers in the league“, Fox added.
Sabonis is having a great season, averaging 18,6 points, 12,3 rebounds, and 6,7 assists per game. He led Sacramento Kings to a 19-15 score so far, as they sit in fifth place on the Western Conference standings.