Sabonis breaks tie with Jokic for NBA triple-double lead with 16, Kings rout Nuggets 135-106
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to break a tie with Nikola Jokic for the NBA triple-double lead with 16 and the Sacramento Kings beat the Denver Nuggets 135-106 on Friday night.
Jokic, the NBA triple-double leader the last two seasons, had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to fall just short of keeping pace with Sabonis.
“Going against the best is always more exciting, more fun,” Sabonis said. “You always want to challenge yourself as a competitor. As a competitor you always want to go against the best.”
The defending champion Nuggets lost for the first time in four games and missed a chance to slip past the Minnesota Timberwolves for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Malik Monk added 23 points for the Kings. De’Aaron Fox had 15 points, 10 assists and five steals. Keegan Murray scored 17 points.
Sabonis is a major reason why the Kings are still in contention in their quest to make back-to-back appearances in the postseason since 2004-06.
A three-time All-Star who didn’t make the team this season, Sabonis shot 7 of 9 from the floor and had 16 of his rebounds off the defensive glass. He is attempting to become the second Kings player in the Sacramento era to lead the NBA in triple-doubles. Chris Webber shared the league lead of five with Jason Kidd during the 1999-2000 season.
Sacramento rebounded from a loss to lowly Detroit to beat the Nuggets. The Kings led by 32, forced 21 turnovers and held a 65-42 advantage in bench scoring.
“I told our guys, ‘I believe in you. You guys have a chance to be great,’” Kings coach Mike Brown said. It shouldn’t take a loss like we had for us to lock in like we did tonight. It’s up to us to lock in, focus on the small details and go out there and perform for 48 minutes from start to finish. If we do, we’ll be happy where we are at the end of the year.”
Aaron Gordon scored 14 points for Denver. Christian Braun added 13 and Jamal Murray had 12. The Nuggets were playing on the second-half of a back-to-back after beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Nuggets coach Mike Malone bemoaned his team’s self-inflicted errors. Denver’s turnovers led to 37 points for the Kings.
“We didn’t take away anything, but you’re not going to beat a good team on the road with what we have,” Malone said. “When they covert at that kind of rate, you’re not giving yourself a chance to win.”
Monk made one of the biggest plays of the night when he stole an inbounds pass and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: At Milwaukee on Monday night.
Kings: At Oklahoma City on Sunday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Nikola Jokic vs. Domantas Sabonis (Peyton Watson gains possession) | ||
| 11:36 |  | Jamal Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:35 | | Kings defensive rebound | ||
| 11:23 | | Keegan Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:21 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 11:08 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point driving dunk | ||
| 11:06 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 11:04 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 11:01 | | Peyton Watson offensive foul (Charge) (Keegan Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 11:01 | | Peyton Watson turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:46 | | Harrison Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:42 | | Peyton Watson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | +3 | Jamal Murray makes three point jump shot (Aaron Gordon assists) | 3-0 |
| 10:19 | | Keegan Murray misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:17 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 10:01 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 9:58 | | Kevin Huerter defensive rebound | ||
| 9:49 | | Keegan Murray misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 9:47 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 9:37 | | +3 | Aaron Gordon makes three point jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 6-0 |
| 9:27 | | Jamal Murray personal foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 9:17 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point turnaround jump shot | 6-2 |
| 8:56 | | Peyton Watson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:52 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 8:45 | | +3 | Kevin Huerter makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 6-5 |
| 8:27 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point cutting dunk (Jamal Murray assists) | 8-5 |
| 8:16 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 8-7 |
| 7:58 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point cutting layup (Jamal Murray assists) | 10-7 |
| 7:48 | | +3 | Harrison Barnes makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 10-10 |
| 7:32 | | Peyton Watson turnover (lost ball) (De'Aaron Fox steals) | ||
| 7:24 | | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point driving layup (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 10-12 |
| 7:13 | | +3 | Justin Holiday makes three point jump shot (Aaron Gordon assists) | 13-12 |
| 6:59 | | Domantas Sabonis misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:57 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 6:44 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point reverse dunk (Nikola Jokic assists) | 15-12 |
| 6:44 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:24 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving layup | 15-14 |
| 6:01 | | Justin Holiday misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:59 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 5:53 | | Peyton Watson blocks Harrison Barnes's two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 5:48 | | Harrison Barnes offensive rebound | ||
| 5:48 | | +2 | Kevin Huerter makes two point reverse layup (Harrison Barnes assists) | 15-16 |
| 5:35 | | De'Aaron Fox shooting foul (Jamal Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 5:35 | | +1 | Jamal Murray makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-16 |
| 5:35 | | Jamal Murray misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 5:33 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 5:20 | | Keegan Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:14 | | Christian Braun defensive rebound | ||
| 5:06 | | +2 | Jamal Murray makes two point pullup jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 18-16 |
| 4:52 | | Malik Monk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:48 | | Jamal Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 4:32 | | Jamal Murray misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:29 | | Malik Monk defensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point pullup jump shot | 18-18 |
| 4:01 | | +3 | Justin Holiday makes three point jump shot (Christian Braun assists) | 21-18 |
| 3:51 | | Aaron Gordon blocks Domantas Sabonis's two point layup | ||
| 3:51 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 3:31 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:28 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 3:24 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point running layup | 21-20 |
| 3:10 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point layup | ||
| 3:08 | | Aaron Gordon offensive rebound | ||
| 3:08 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point putback layup | 23-20 |
| 3:08 | | Trey Lyles shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 3:08 | | Aaron Gordon misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 3:05 | | Trey Lyles defensive rebound | ||
| 2:47 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point pullup jump shot | 23-22 |
| 2:34 | | Malik Monk blocks Christian Braun's two point layup | ||
| 2:34 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 2:34 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:27 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point pullup jump shot | 25-22 |
| 2:10 | | +3 | Sasha Vezenkov makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 25-25 |
| 1:50 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 1:47 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 1:46 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point putback layup | 27-25 |
| 1:36 | | De'Aaron Fox misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 1:33 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 1:25 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving layup | 29-25 |
| 1:25 | | JaVale McGee shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 1:25 | | Nikola Jokic misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 1:22 | | JaVale McGee defensive rebound | ||
| 1:08 | | Malik Monk turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jokic steals) | ||
| 1:04 | | +2 | Peyton Watson makes two point running layup (Reggie Jackson assists) | 31-25 |
| 0:52 | | De'Aaron Fox turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jokic steals) | ||
| 0:48 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point running layup (Julian Strawther assists) | 33-25 |
| 0:47 | | Christian Braun personal foul (Malik Monk draws the foul) | ||
| 0:47 | | +1 | Malik Monk makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 33-26 |
| 0:36 | | Sasha Vezenkov misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:32 | | DeAndre Jordan defensive rebound | ||
| 0:25 | | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point driving layup | 35-26 |
| 0:02 | | +3 | Trey Lyles makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 35-29 |
| 0:00 | | Peyton Watson turnover (bad pass) (Malik Monk steals) | ||
| 0:00 | | +3 | Malik Monk makes three point pullup jump shot | 35-32 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:48 | | +3 | Sasha Vezenkov makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 35-35 |
| 11:35 | | Sasha Vezenkov personal foul (Reggie Jackson draws the foul) | ||
| 11:17 | | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 37-35 |
| 11:04 | | Peyton Watson blocks Sasha Vezenkov's two point cutting layup | ||
| 11:01 | | Reggie Jackson defensive rebound | ||
| 11:01 | | Reggie Jackson turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 10:54 | | Sasha Vezenkov misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:53 | | Trey Lyles offensive rebound | ||
| 10:51 | | Peyton Watson shooting foul (Trey Lyles draws the foul) | ||
| 10:51 | | +1 | Trey Lyles makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-36 |
| 10:51 | | +1 | Trey Lyles makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-37 |
| 10:38 | | Jamal Murray turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:30 | | Reggie Jackson shooting foul (Alex Len draws the foul) | ||
| 10:30 | | Alex Len misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 10:30 | | Kings offensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | Alex Len misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 10:29 | | DeAndre Jordan defensive rebound | ||
| 10:13 | | Jump ball. Alex Len vs. Jamal Murray (Trey Lyles gains possession) | ||
| 10:13 | | Jamal Murray turnover (lost ball) (Alex Len steals) | ||
| 10:07 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point driving dunk | 37-39 |
| 9:49 | | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point pullup jump shot | 39-39 |
| 9:45 | | Alex Len offensive foul (DeAndre Jordan draws the foul) | ||
| 9:45 | | Alex Len turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:35 | | +2 | Jamal Murray makes two point stepback jump shot | 41-39 |
| 9:23 | | Peyton Watson shooting foul (Alex Len draws the foul) | ||
| 9:23 | | +1 | Alex Len makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-40 |
| 9:23 | | +1 | Alex Len makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 41-41 |
| 9:10 | | Jamal Murray turnover (bad pass) (Trey Lyles steals) | ||
| 9:03 | | +2 | Trey Lyles makes two point running layup (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 41-43 |
| 8:49 | | Jamal Murray misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:45 | | DeAndre Jordan offensive rebound | ||
| 8:43 | | Christian Braun misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:40 | | De'Aaron Fox defensive rebound | ||
| 8:32 | | Malik Monk misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:28 | | DeAndre Jordan defensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | Alex Len shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 8:10 | | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 42-43 |
| 8:10 | | Aaron Gordon misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 8:08 | | Trey Lyles defensive rebound | ||
| 7:56 | | Malik Monk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:53 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 7:35 | | +2 | DeAndre Jordan makes two point layup (Justin Holiday assists) | 44-43 |
| 7:25 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point layup (Malik Monk assists) | 44-45 |
| 7:12 | | Julian Strawther misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 7:09 | | DeAndre Jordan offensive rebound | ||
| 7:09 | | DeAndre Jordan misses two point tip layup | ||
| 7:08 | | Trey Lyles defensive rebound | ||
| 7:03 | | Trey Lyles turnover (bad pass) (Jamal Murray steals) | ||
| 6:57 | | Jamal Murray misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:56 | | Aaron Gordon offensive rebound | ||
| 6:47 | | DeAndre Jordan misses two point layup | ||
| 6:44 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:39 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point running layup | 44-47 |
| 6:39 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:18 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving hook shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 46-47 |
| 6:05 | | Davion Mitchell turnover (bad pass) (Reggie Jackson steals) | ||
| 5:42 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 5:42 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 5:42 | | Nuggets turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 5:31 | | +3 | Kevin Huerter makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 46-50 |
| 5:11 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point layup | ||
| 5:11 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 5:07 | | +3 | Julian Strawther makes three point fadeaway jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 49-50 |
| 4:57 | | +3 | Keegan Murray makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 49-53 |
| 4:34 | | Julian Strawther offensive foul (De'Aaron Fox draws the foul) | ||
| 4:34 | | Julian Strawther turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:20 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point jump shot (Keegan Murray assists) | 49-55 |
| 4:06 | | Julian Strawther misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:04 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 4:01 | | Nikola Jokic shooting foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 4:01 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 49-56 |
| 4:01 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 49-57 |
| 3:44 | | Christian Braun misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:41 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 3:40 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (traveling) | ||
| 3:31 | | +3 | Jamal Murray makes three point pullup jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 52-57 |
| 3:23 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (lost ball) (Nikola Jokic steals) | ||
| 3:23 | | Domantas Sabonis personal foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 3:23 | | +1 | Jamal Murray makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 53-57 |
| 3:08 | | Jamal Murray misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:06 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 2:53 | | +3 | De'Aaron Fox makes three point stepback jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 53-60 |
| 2:45 |