Over the years, Domantas Sabonis has emerged as one of the best forwards in the league. Even though the Sacramento Kings leader failed to make it to the All-Star Team this season, Sabonis is statistically in the midst of the best season of his eight-year career. During this campaign, Sabonis has been a triple-double machine, leading all players with 20 triple-doubles. Despite the Kings’ 125-130 loss, the 27-year-old’s 35-point, 18-rebound, and 12-assist performance against the Phoenix Suns just before the All-Star break has to be one of his best individual performing games.
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The Phoenix Suns are one of the franchises against whom Domantas Sabonis shifts gears and elevates his performance. While he’s averaging 15.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 55.7% FG across his career, Sabonis puts up significantly better numbers against the Arizona side. In the 21 games that he’s played against the Suns, the 6ft 10” star has recorded 18.2 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 61.3% FG.
The Lithuanian-American center started his NBA career as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. During his rookie season, in his lone year with the Thunder, the southpaw faced the Phoenix Suns four times. In these four games, Sabonis averaged 8.5 points and 2.8 rebounds on 61.6% FG, while failing to dish out even a single assist.
As a member of the Indiana Pacers, the son of NBA legend Arvydas Sabonis matched up against the Phoenix Suns eight times across a span of four and a half seasons. In these eight games, the power forward lodged 18.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 56.1% FG.
Since being traded in the middle of the 2021-2022 season, Domantas has matched up against Devin Booker and co. nine times already. This has arguably been his best stats among the three franchises he’s represented – 22.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 8.4 assists on 66.7% FG.
In terms of his best stats against the Phoenix Suns, Domantas Sabonis has recorded 11 points and 4 rebounds during his stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder. While donning the Pacers jersey, the forward recorded a career-high 28 points and 22 rebounds that he recorded on 9th January 2021. He proceeded to dish his career-high of 10 assists in their very next meeting on 13th March 2021.
Sabonis’ latest 35-point, 18-rebound, 12-assist triple-double on 13th February 2024 is his career-high in points, rebounds, and assists against the Suns when playing for the Kings.
This season, the Kings have gone against the Suns on four occasions. Sabonis recorded a double-double in each of these four outings and lodged a triple-double in three of them. He’s averaging 24.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 10 assists on 69.5% FG this season.
How will Domantas Sabonis and the Kings fare against the Suns in the postseason?
As things currently stand, the Sacrament Kings are #5 in the Western Conference and the Phoenix Suns trail them, sitting right behind at the #6 spot. Considering that only four games are differentiating the 5th seed from the 10th seed, there could be possibilities that the Suns and the Kings meet each other in the later rounds of the postseason.
While the All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal seem to be a tough matchup for the majority of the teams in the league, Sabonis seems to enjoy facing the Suns. For, the three-time All-Star has a winning 12-9 record against the franchise – 2-2 as a Thunder, 6-2 as a Pacer, and 4-5 as a member of the Kings.
The two Western Conference franchises have had a 2-2 record this season. The season series will be decided on 12th April 2024, once the two powerhouses face each other for the fifth and last time in the regular season.
Previously, the Kings and the Suns have met each other four times in the postseason with each team having won two series. If the two franchises end up meeting in the playoff this time, this tie will be broken.
