SACRAMENTO – Domantas Sabonis reached an incredible NBA milestone Monday night as the Kings defeated the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers 108-96 at Golden 1 Center.
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Sabonis recorded his 54th consecutive double-double and his league-leading 67th of the 2023-24 NBA season, finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in Sacramento’s win.
Tyrese Maxey was one of the few bright spots for the 76ers, erupting early with 21 first-quarter points.
The rest of the 76ers (39-33) couldn’t get anything going, and there was no Brotherly Love for former Kings guard Buddy Hield, who received an outpour of boos from fans inside Golden 1 Center every time he touched the ball.
After returning home from a three-game road trip, during which they went 2-1, the Kings (42-29) opened another five-game homestand Monday, and did so on a high note. After Monday's win, Sacramento moved up to No. 6 in the Western Conference standings.
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Here are the takeaways from the Kings' 108-96 win.
Keeg’s first-quarter flurry
Fresh off an impressive shooting night in Sacramento’s 109-107 win against the Orlando Magic on Saturday, Murray kept the ball rolling Monday night at Golden 1 Center.
And he wasted no time.
Murray scored the first points of the contest, opening the scoring with a 25-foot 3-pointer 42 seconds into the game. He had the hot hand for the rest of the quarter, too, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 3 of 5 from deep in all 12 minutes of the opening frame.
The 23-year-old has had an up-and-down sophomore season as his focus has shifted to the defensive end of the floor, averaging 14.8 points on 46.1-percent shooting from the field and 35.8 percent from downtown, with 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 65 games this season.
But he now has strung together a couple of impressive shooting performances. In Saturday’s win, he had 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting (66.7 percent) from the field and 6 of 7 (85.7 percent) from deep, with seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a plus-21 rating in 38 minutes.
Murray cooled down the remainder of Monday’s game, adding just six more points. He finished the contest with 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field and 3 of 11 from beyond the arc, with three rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 38 minutes.
Maxey Madness
Without reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, it was 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey who stepped up and put on a show for Philadelphia on Monday night.
And in a month that highlights college basketball during the NCAA tournament, Maxey brought some madness of his own to the 916.
In 62 games this season, the 23-year-old guard is averaging 25.7 points on 44.7 percent shooting, with 3.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists.
After the first 12 minutes, Maxey already had 21 points. By the half, he had 26.
Sacramento made adjustments in the second half, though, limiting the guard to just three points in the final two quarters. He finished with 29 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 5 of 7 from deep, with three rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes.
Double-double king
The double-double king isn't just a cute nickname anymore -- it's a fact.
After picking up his 54th consecutive double-double, Sabonis passed Kevin Love for the longest double-double streak since the 1976-77 ABA-NBA merger.
The Kings honored Sabonis with a special tribute video that played on the G1C jumbotron during a timeout, as Kings fans responded with warm applause.
Sabonis finished the contest with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting with 13 rebounds and 10 assists in 33 minutes.
Sacramento certainly will need its double-double machine for the next stretch of tough games ahead and heading into the NBA playoffs, and the Lithuanian big man is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.