Domantas Sabonis becomes third Kings player to grab 10 rebounds in first quarter

On Wednesday night, Domantas Sabonis became the third Sacramento Kings player to record 10 rebounds in the first quarter of a single game, joining Chris Webber and Billy Owens. The two-time All-Star accomplished this feat in a 134-120 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sabonis, Webber, and Owens are the only Sacramento players over the last 25 seasons to reach this number in the first 12 minutes. The 26-year-old ended his performance with 13 points, 21 rebounds, 12 assists, and one steal in 38 minutes of action.

Per multiple NBA betting sites, Domantas Sabonis and the Kings possess the 19th-best odds to win the championship in 2023. A few sportsbooks are expecting them to end their 16-year playoff drought this season.

From Kings PR: Domantas Sabonis is just the third Kings player over the last 25 seasons with 10 rebounds in the first quarter, joining Chris Webber and Billy Owens.

— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) December 22, 2022

“He’s been rebounding the crap out of the ball,” Kings coach Mike Brown said after the win. “Even if he didn’t get stats, how hard that he plays is unbelievable.”

Through 30 starts this season, Sabonis is averaging 17.9 points, 12.3 boards, and 6.6 assists. Not to mention, he’s shooting 41.2% outside the arc and a career-best 62.3% from the field. The Gonzaga product has recorded 22 double-doubles and two triple-doubles as well.

Domantas Sabonis joins Chris Webber, Billy Owens as the only Kings players to record 10 rebounds in first quarter over the last 25 seasons

Moreover, this is the first time the Kings defeated the Lakers in consecutive matchups in their season series since the 2015-16 season. Back then, Sacramento won all four games against L.A.

Kings rookie guard Keegan Murray matched his career high with 23 points in 35 minutes. He finished 7-of-17 (41.2%) shooting from the floor and made one 3-pointer.

Yes https://t.co/DZGyUBcteb

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 22, 2022

“Today especially we just played desperate, and I feel like our starting five did that very well,” Murray said. “We just stuck together and went on runs and that was big for us.”

While the Kings trailed by a point at the end of the opening quarter, boards from Domantas Sabonis were the clear difference maker. Sacramento outrebounded the Lakers 46-39. Their largest lead of the game was by 23 points. And the Kings scored a total of 81 points in the second and third quarters combined.