Sabonis’ strong opener spoiled by late error in Kings’ loss to Wolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – The lasting image most people will have of Domantas Sabonis in the Kings’ season-opening 117-115 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves are the two crucial fouls he picked up in the final minute of the game.

To that point, though, Sabonis had put together the kind of game Kings fans have come to expect from the veteran center: 24 points, eight rebounds, two steals and one suffocating defense against Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in a battle for the win. big men at Golden 1 Center on Thursday.

Gobert, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, isn’t one of the Wolves’ top three scoring threats, but at 6-foot-1, he can be a very effective scorer when given the opportunity.

Sabonis didn’t give him much of a chance.

Gobert scored just three points, his fewest in a regular season game since April 9, 2023, and took just two shots. To put that in perspective, Gobert attempted no fewer than three shots in the games he played last season.

It was actually a case of Sabonis giving Gobert – four-time NBA defensive player of the year – a 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 did a great job in pick-and-roll coverage. He also did a good job of trying to rebound and box guys out.

On a night when Sacramento celebrated the arrival of DeMar DeRozan and welcomed back several key players who had missed most of the preseason (Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles), Sabonis clearly stood out, especially with his defense against Gobert.

At several points throughout the evening, Sabonis lingered around the free-throw line, pulling Gobert out and clearing the baseline for the King’s other players to attack low.

Sabonis was good when he went straight on Minnesota’s towering center.

At one point early in the third quarter, Sabonis drove into Gobert – who was in the key – made a 360-degree turn and scored.

However, all that was wiped away when Sabonis fouled Gobert and Anthony Edwards in the final 40 seconds of the fourth quarter. Gobert made one of two free throws, then Edwards sank both with two seconds left.

Brown said a breakdown in Sabonis’ defensive technique was the cause.

“After the foul he committed with Rudy, he led with his hands,” Brown said. ‘And for a man like Rudy we just close a wall. There’s no reason to lead with your hands, especially since Rudy is off balance. Then I thought Domas did a great job going vertical and Ant should have made a difficult shot but (Sabonis) ran into his body.

“We continue to talk to our guys about ‘lead with your chest.’ If they have a chance, we just live with it. He’s going to get better.”

Sabonis took responsibility for the violations, but liked the overall picture he saw from the Kings.

“We did a lot of good things the first time we played together,” Sabonis said. “It sucks. We were 11 ahead… and now it’s back to square one.”

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