WASHINGTON (AP) Domantas Sabonis had 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and Terence Davis II provided an early spark off the bench and added 21 points as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Washington Wizards 132-118 Saturday night.
“He gets hit in the head,” said coach Mike Brown of Sabonis’ physical night. “Being slammed to the ground and he comes and comes and comes. He has 30, nine and nine. Extremely efficient at 12 shots. How do you get 30 out of 12 shots? That’s ridiculous. I have to keep reminding the guys that he’s an All-NBA guy. It’s just a reminder that he’s that guy.”
Six players scored in double figures for the Kings. Keegan Murray had 19, Malik Monk added 17, De’Aaron Fox had 12 and Harrison Barnes 11. Sacramento shot a 22 for 37 from a 3-point range, a season-best 59.5%, with five each from Murray, Davis and Monk.
Murray felt that Sabonis played an important role in the team’s performance from across the arc.
“I think with Domas he brings a lot of attention offensively,” Murray said. “It’s just fluid with our offense. You never know what to expect. We can do different things at different times. We did that tonight. We got a lot of open looks. We took pictures.”
Sacramento has won 11 of its last 13 games since the All-Star hiatus and seven straight away. The Kings are tied 43-27 with the Grizzlies, four games behind the Nuggets in the race for the top spot in the Western Conference.
“I think we just have our backs to the wall,” Murray said. “We knew this was going to be a tough road for us. We had to play against a lot of really good teams, we had to win a lot. I think we just played 100% every single game and just watched the tables turn.”
Kyle Kuzma had 33 points and Bradley Beal added 20 for the Wizards, who have lost seven of their last nine games.
The Kings led 71-60 at the break behind 18 points from Sabonis and four 3-points from Davis.
“He hadn’t played in a while,” Brown said of Davis. “He’s just a guy who’s always ready. He hit some timely shots for us. He had seven boards tonight which was fantastic to see. He was big.”
Kessler Edwards, who came on for the injured Kevin Huerter, defended Beal tightly and limited the Wizards’ leading scorer to five points in the first half with a 2-for-8 shoot while denying most of the second quarter with three fouls.
Kuzma scored 20 goals in the first half, despite having to leave the game five minutes early in the first half due to a leg injury.
TIP INS
Kings: Edwards made his first start with Sacramento and second overall this season, replacing Huerter, who was out with a minor muscle strain in his right leg.
Brown likes Edward’s youthful confidence on the floor: “His ability to rebound offensively, every possession he runs extremely hard, with directions in transition. For a young man, he doesn’t seem afraid of the moment.”
Brown gave Trey Lyles a day off due to right shoulder pain. “It’s not bad,” Brown said. “If it was a playoff game, he would most likely play.”
Wizards: Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said newly signed forward Xavier Cooks had his first practice session with the team on Saturday morning. Cooks made his NBA debut in the fourth quarter, playing more than five minutes and notching a rebound. “Another guy with size and athleticism,” Unseld Jr. said.
“He has the versatility to defend multiple positions.”
Forward Corey Kispert started for center Krystaps Porzingis, who was sidelined due to illness.
NEXT
Kings: At the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Wizards: At the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
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