Sabonis’ strong opener spoiled by late error in Kings’ loss to Wolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – The lasting image that most people will have of Domantas Sabonis in the Kings’ season-opening117-115 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves are the two critical fouls that he picked up in the final minute of the game.
Up until that point, however, Sabonis had put together the type of game that Kings’ fans have come to expect from the veteran center – 24 points, eight rebounds, two steals and one smothering case of defense against Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in a battle of big men at Golden 1 Center on Thursday.
Gobert, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, is not among the Wolves’ top three scoring threats, but at 7-foot-1 he can be a very effective scorer when given the chance.
Sabonis didn’t give him much of a chance.
Gobert scored only three points, his fewest in a regular season game since April 9, 2023, and took just two shots. To put that in perspective, Gobert didn’t attempt fewer than three shots in any of the games he played in last season.
It was basically a case of Sabonis giving Gobert – a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year – a little taste of his own medicine.
“Overall, Domas played a really, really good game,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “We had him in a lot of different coverages and he was doing a great job in the pick-and-roll coverage. He also did a good job of trying to rebound and boxing guys out.”
On a night when Sacramento celebrated the arrival of DeMar DeRozan and welcomed back a couple of key players who missed most of the preseason (Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles), Sabonis clearly stood out, mostly for his defense against Gobert.
At various times throughout the evening Sabonis would linger around the free throw line, drawing Gobert out and freeing up the baseline for the Kings other players to attack down low.
Sabonis was good when going straight at Minnesota’s towering center.
At one point early in the third quarter Sabonis drove into Gobert – who was standing in the key – then did a 360-degree spin and scored.
All of that was wiped away, however, when Sabonis fouled Gobert and Anthony Edwards in the final 40 seconds in the fourth quarter. Gobert made one of two free throws, then Edwards sank both with two seconds remaining.
Brown said a breakdown in Sabonis’ defensive technique was to blame.
“On the foul that he got with Rudy, he led with his hands,” Brown said. “And a guy like Rudy, we just wall up. There’s no reason to lead with your hands, especially with Rudy being off balance. Then I thought Domas did a great job going vertical and Ant would have had to make a tough shot but (Sabonis) came across his body.
“We keep talking to our guys about, ‘lead with your chest.’ If they make the shot we just live with it. He’s going to get better.”
Sabonis shouldered responsibility for the fouls but liked the overall picture that he saw from the Kings.
“We did a lot of good things for the first time playing together,” Sabonis said. “It sucks. We were up by 11 … and now it’s back to square one.”
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