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Domantas Sabonis of Kings
On March 6, Domantas Sabonis recorded his 44th consecutive double-double. THE Kings of Sacramento defeated the the Los Angeles Lakers 130-120, with Sabonis having 16 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists. Sabonis now has 57 double-doubles this season, just 15 short of the all-time record for most double-doubles in a season.
The Kings have 21 games left on their schedule, which means Sabonis has a real chance to break the record if he can maintain this pace. The Kings’ next game will be against the San Antonio Spurs on March 7.
Examine the numbers
Sabonis has dominated the glass this year. He leads the league in total rebounds, with 821, and rebounds per game, with 13.5. He has six games this season with 20 or more rebounds. No other player has completed more than three such games, and only 16 players in total have accomplished the feat even once.
His assist numbers are equally impressive. He is currently fifth in the league with 514 assists and is only behind Nikola Jokic for assists from a big man.
This level of play is not something new for Sabonis. Since joining the Kings ahead of the 2021-22 season, he is second in the league in total assists and rebounds.
@AOP_NBA | NBAPasses + Rebounds
However, Sabonis has taken his game to new heights this year. His 1,335 assists and rebounds this year are by far the best marks in the league. He leads the league with 57 double-doubles and also leads the league with 22 triple-doubles.
By Keith Smith from Spotrac, on the streak of 44 consecutive double-double games, Sabonis has 43 point-rebound double-doubles and 1 point-assist double-double. The streak also includes 21 triple-doubles. During the period, he averaged 22 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists per game.
There have only been eight players in NBA history who have recorded a double-double in 50 consecutive games. Elgin Baylor, Walt Bellamy, Wilt Chamberlain, Elvin Hayes, Kevin Love, Jerry Lucas, Moses Malone and Bill Russell have all accomplished the feat, and Sabonis may soon join that list.
Sabonis had some incredible games during this stretch. On January 9, during a victory against the Detroit Pistons, he had 37 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Then, on February 13, during a confrontation in the Western Conference with the Phoenix Sunshe had 35 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists.
What should scare the rest of the league is that Sabonis may still be getting better. Speaking to The Athletic In January, Sabonis emphasized that he still had room to improve, saying, “There’s a lot of things to work on. I know the numbers may show otherwise, but I feel like I have so much left to do to help my teammates on the field and win games. It’s exciting as a player. For example, if I work on this and I can do it in this situation, then it will help the team. I always think about it.
The next games of kings
There will not be Victor Wembanyama in the Kings’ game against the Spurs on March 7, meaning Sabonis should have an even better opportunity to dominate the glass. In his previous game against San Antonio, on February 22, Sabonis finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The Kings’ next three matchups will be against the Houston Rockets on March 10, Milwaukee Bucks March 12, and the Los Angeles Lakers on March 13.
Whether Sabonis breaks the double-double record or not, he has established himself as one of the best and most versatile big men in the game, and may just be scratching the surface of how good he is.
