By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
An unfavorable outcome in Footprint Center forced the Sacramento Kings to 30-23 in the NBA Regular Season. However, Domantas Sabonis posted a monster triple-double on Tuesday.
Sabonis, 27, tallied 35 points, 18 rebounds, and 12 assists alongside three blocks and one steal over 39 minutes in the losing effort versus the Phoenix Suns. The third consecutive triple-double in the 2023-24 campaign was combined with becoming the first player to record at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, and three blocks in a single game since Larry Bird.
The Gonzaga product, son of Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis, also became the 11th player in league history to post 50 career triple-doubles. Inching closer to the top ten resurfaces Bird sitting tenth behind 59 triple-doubles during his career.
Top 10 players with the most career triple-doubles
|
Player |
Triple-doubles |
|
Russell Westbrook |
198 |
|
Oscar Robertson |
181 |
|
LeBron James |
139 |
|
Magic Johnson |
138 |
|
Nikola Jokic |
136 |
|
Jason Kidd |
107 |
|
James Harden |
79 |
|
Wilt Chamberlain |
78 |
|
Luka Doncic |
66 |
|
Larry Bird |
59 |
Despite leading the league with 18 triple-doubles this season, the Lithuanian forward/center fell shy of being named in the 2024 All-Star Game. Fellow Lithuanian NBA standout Jonas Valanciunas rejected the snub in a recent interview with Eurohoops, following in the footsteps of Kings head coach Mike Brown and others.
Sabonis averaging 20.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per contest over 53 games played sends the Kings to sitting eighth in the Western Conference, 1.5 games behind a direct ticket to the Playoffs and 4.5 games away from elimination. Wrapping up action before the All-Star break and back-to-back on the road, they visit the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic in Ball Arena on Wednesday.
Photo Credit: Getty Images