Sabonis impresses as Kings rally late to overcome Celtics


At a glance

  • Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and a career-high 28 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings used a fourth quarter rally to beat the Boston Celtics, 114-97, on Friday night, Jan. 10.


BOSTON (AP) — Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and a career-high 28 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings used a fourth quarter rally to beat the Boston Celtics, 114-97, on Friday night, Jan. 10.

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Sacramento Kings' Domantas Sabonis (11) dunks against Boston Celtics' Derrick White, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 10, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

The victory extended Sacramento’s season-high win streak to six games. It was Sabonis’ 33rd double-double of the season and 24th game of his career with 20 or more rebounds. Entering Friday, the NBA’s previous high for rebounds in a game this season was 23 by San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.

DeMar DeRozan added 24 points and nine assists, and Malik Monk finished with 22 points and eight assists.

Boston has lost two of its last three.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 28 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Jayson Tatum had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The game was tied at 76 after three quarters. Sacramento then took command, opening the fourth on a 24-9 run to take a 100-85 lead with 6:03 to play.

Meanwhile in Denver, Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds in his return to the lineup, Russell Westbrook had 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and the Nuggets beat the Brooklyn Nets, 124-105.

It was the 145th career triple-double for Jokic, who missed Denver’s previous two games due to an illness.

It was Westbrook’s 202nd career triple-double. It was the second time this season they have had triple-doubles in the same game, and according to the NBA they are the first teammates in NBA history to have triple-doubles in the same game multiple times in a single season.

Westbrook has the most career NBA triple-doubles and Jokic is third. Oscar Robertson is second with 181.

Ben Simmons played for the first time since Jan. 1 and had 10 points and six assists for Brooklyn, which has dropped four straight and 12 of its last 15. Keon Johnson had 22 points and Tyrese Martin had 19 points for Brooklyn.

In Orlando, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points and 14 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks beat, 109-106, in spite of 34 points by the Magic’s Paolo Banchero in his long-awaited return from an injury.

Damian Lillard added 29 points for the Bucks, including a couple of free throws with 9.3 seconds left for the game’s final points.

Playing for the first time since tearing his right oblique on Oct. 30, Banchero also had seven rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. He made 5 of 8 3-point shots.

Cole Anthony had 18 points and seven rebounds for Orlando and Tristan da Silva had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Bobby Portis came off Milwaukee’s bench to score 11 points and grab seven rebounds.

In Chicago, Zach LaVine scored 33 points and the Bulls beat the Washington Wizards, 138-105.

Nikola Vučević had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and Coby White and Jalen Smith each scored 15 points for the Bulls. Chicago got its fifth win in seven games and evened a 125-107 loss to the Wizards on Jan. 1.

LaVine had 18 points in the first half to help Chicago take control.

In New York, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points in 29 minutes, and the Oklahoma City Thunder emphatically bounced back to rout the Knicks, 126-101, in the first game since their 15-game winning streak was snapped.

Isaiah Joe added 23 of his 31 points in the first half for the Thunder, who were coming off a 129-122 loss at NBA-leading Cleveland on Wednesday in the biggest game of the season thus far. There was no hangover at Madison Square Garden, where Oklahoma City had a 36-12 run in the first half en route to a 70-43 lead.

In Philadelphia, CJ McCollum scored 38 points to lead a New Orleans Pelicans team playing without the suspended Zion Williamson past the Philadelphia 76ers, 123-115.

Williamson was suspended for one game for a violation of team policies, that included repeated lateness to practices or flights. The Pelicans also played without forward and top defensive player Herb Jones. Jones is sidelined indefinitely with a posterior labrum tear in his right shoulder.