According to the latest official NBA injury report, the Kings have listed Domantas Sabonis as available to play (left ribcage contusion) for tonight’s game in Sacramento.

Sabonis has not had the smoothest start to the season, with the Kings holding a 2-5 record in the games he has played. The Lithuanian star initially dealt with a low-grade hamstring injury that caused him to miss the season-opening loss to the Suns, and he subsequently suffered a rib injury that kept him out for two additional games.

After missing a back-to-back set, Sabonis returned to action in the tough 144-117 defeat to the Timberwolves, where he scored 20 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out three assists in 30 minutes. However, it appears Sabonis aggravated his ribs during that last contest, leading to his placement back on the injury report for the game against the Nuggets.

Impact of Sabonis on Kings’ frontcourt

Without Sabonis on the court, the Kings lose their most important presence in the paint as he’s the team’s leading rebounder. The Lithuanian widely leads the team on the boards, averaging 14 rebounds per game, followed by Russell Westbrook (6.4) and Precious Achiuwa (5.7).

When Sabonis cannot play, Drew Eubanks typically steps in at center, but his rebounding numbers (2.6 per game) are nowhere near Sabonis’ output. Rookie Maxime Raynaud (3.6 rebounds) and Achiuwa (5.7 rebounds) also contribute off the bench.

Furthermore, none of the available centers come close to matching Sabonis’ scoring production. The Lithuanian averages 15.3 points per game, which far exceeds the 6.7 points from Achiuwa, 6.3 from Eubanks, or 3.8 from Raynaud. That is why Sabonis’s presence is essential for the Kings, who have not started the season well and are eager to reverse this image as quickly as possible.

Domantas Sabonis (ribs) has officially been ruled out for Friday’s game, per JandersonSacBee. His absence marks a major blow for Sacramento, as the 29-year-old center remains one of the team’s most vital contributors on both ends of the court. Sabonis’ injury, a ribcage contusion, had already raised concern among Kings fans, and his recovery will now be closely monitored moving forward.

On a more positive note, the Kings are expected to have Zach LaVine back in the lineup. LaVine has been removed from the NBA injury report after missing Wednesday’s 121–116 win over the Golden State Warriors due to back soreness. His return should give Sacramento a much-needed boost heading into Friday night’s clash.

LaVine’s presence will certainly help, but having both him and Sabonis available would be ideal against one of the league’s top teams. Even so, the Kings are ready to fight as underdogs in a true David vs Goliath showdown.

Sabonis’ season so far

The three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection already missed the season opener against the Phoenix Suns and has now sat out two of Sacramento’s first nine games. The Kings have felt his absence on both ends of the floor, particularly in rebounding and scoring efficiency.

So far this season, Sabonis is averaging 14.5 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists across 34.7 minutes per game while shooting 52.2% from the field — a reflection of just how valuable he continues to be to the Kings’ success.

How the Kings are performing

Sacramento’s victory over Golden State earlier this week was especially impressive considering they were without Sabonis, LaVine, and Keegan Murray. Facing a strong Warriors team, the Kings showed resilience and depth — qualities they’ll need again if they hope to upset Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City’s first loss

Oklahoma entered this matchup as the only remaining unbeaten team to start the season but now turns its attention to rebounding from its first defeat — a narrow 121–119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, in which the Thunder blew a 22-point lead. Despite the setback, Oklahoma continues to look like one of the toughest teams in the league and a major contender moving forward.

Brown pointed to an intriguing statistic from the 2023-24 season. Among the 25 players with the most touches, Sabonis recorded the second-shortest average touch length, trailing only Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers. This efficiency, according to Brown, sets Sabonis apart.

“I’m not saying Domas is better than Jokic or anything like that,” Brown clarified during an interview with ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “But to me, that’s why Domas is a better playmaker than Jokic.” While his opinion is undoubtedly controversial, the statistic offers some support for his perspective. However, as the Kings coach himself noted, the comparison was limited to playmaking and not an overall evaluation of the two players.

Jokic and Sabonis share some similarities in their playing styles, both excelling as versatile centers who contribute across multiple areas of the game. They are the only players this season averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, underscoring their ability to impact the game on various levels.

Yet, Jokic’s accolades—including three NBA MVP awards—highlight his dominance as a player who consistently elevates his team. Sabonis, while impressive, has yet to reach that level of individual or team success.

Jokic vs. Sabonis

Nikola Jokic’s numbers this season reaffirm his status as a frontrunner for the MVP award. Averaging 32.3 points (second in the league behind Giannis Antetokounmpo), 13.6 rebounds, and 10.2 assists, Jokic continues to redefine what a center can achieve. Of the top 50 scorers in the league, only Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young averages more assists per game.

In comparison, Sabonis is having a strong season but lacks Jokic’s gaudy statistics. He is currently 41st in scoring, averaging 20.8 points, along with 12.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists over 23 games. These numbers solidify him as one of the league’s most complete centers, but they fall short of Jokic’s historic pace.

While Mike Brown’s comparison highlights an interesting aspect of Sabonis’ playmaking, it’s hard to ignore the gulf in overall impact between the two players. Jokic remains in a league of his own, not only as a dominant individual talent but also as the centerpiece of a championship-winning team. Sabonis, on the other hand, continues to build his case as one of the league’s most versatile big men.

While preseason games don’t carry the same weight as the regular season, the Kings’ performance left much to be desired, particularly in their most recent loss.

Sabonis, the Kings’ standout center, spoke candidly about the reasons behind the loss in a postgame interview with Sean Cunningham. “We definitely didn’t have our best game taking care of the ball, and that led to a lot of extra shots for them,” Sabonis said.

“Overall, for whatever reason, I just feel like our legs weren’t there today, and kudos to them, they came out and competed,” he added. “We didn’t even have the energy to match that.”

Taking accountability, Sabonis didn’t shy away from putting some of the blame on himself. “The energy just ran out, starting with me,” he admitted. The Lithuanian All-Star posted nine points, seven assists, eight rebounds, and five turnovers—far below his usual standards.

Sabonis weighs in on DeMar DeRozan’s arrival

In an interview with ClutchPoints, Sabonis shared his thoughts on DeMar DeRozan’s addition to the Kings roster, expressing excitement for the veteran’s impact this season. “I think DeMar is the final piece,” Sabonis said.

“I’m super excited because he’s a huge name and a big-time player. I can’t wait to have him. He’s going to make all of us better because of his experiences and just his mindset.”

Sabonis also addressed one of the key areas the Kings struggled with last season: consistency. “Everyone is really locked in this summer. We all know our biggest issue last season was consistency,” he explained. “I think everyone realizes now the mistakes we made and how we can be better.”

The Kings were major contenders last season, which ultimately culminated in the Boston Celtics’ championship, and the Lithuanian acknowledges that they made certain mistakes that prevented Mike Brown’s squad from achieving better results.

In an interview with clutchpoints.com, Sabonis was decisive about DeMar DeRozan‘s arrival to strengthen the roster for the upcoming season: “I think DeMar is the final piece.”

“I am super excited because he’s a huge name and a big-time player. I am so excited to have him. He is going to make all of us better because of his experiences and just his mindset.”

Additionally, he addressed the main deficit the Kings faced last season: “Everyone is really locked in this summer. We all know our biggest issue last season was consistency,” Sabonis told ClutchPoints. “I think everyone realizes now the mistakes we made and how we can be better.”

Domantas Sabonis next goals with Kings

When asked about his immediate goals in his career with the Kings, the center did not hesitate in sharing his expectations: “At this point in my career, I am only focused on winning. The accolades and personal honors are great, but I want to win and I want to do so with the guys I have grown with in Sacramento,

“I don’t care if I put all of my eggs in one basket, I just want to win. All of that stuff was awesome and I am glad to have experienced it, but we all know that winning is the only thing that matters in this league. I am ready for this challenge.”

Sabonis and his foray into screen time

Sabonis joined LeBron James, Jason Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Jimmy Butler for a Netflix series that will showcase the everyday lives of these players beyond their club activities.

“As much as everyone wants to say they were in a movie or show, just having this experience with my family and kids made it special,” Sabonis said. “I am excited for my fans to see that when they watch Starting 5.”

When asked about what motivated him to film this documentary alongside NBA stars, the Lithuanian stated: “It was certainly an honor to be a part of a group like that. LeBron, Jayson, Jimmy, and Ant are all the biggest stars, so to be in that grouping is surreal. Doing this for Netflix is huge. For me, it meant a lot to be able to give recognition to the city of Sacramento, the Kings organization, and everything we are building. I thought this was a great opportunity not only for me, but for my team.“

The next couple of weeks will pretty much make or break a team’s season. That also means some players will be on a mission for the remainder of the season after being disrespected by the fans, the coaches, and the media.

Every All-Star Game comes with some major snubs. We already know guys like Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James are locks to make the game. But what about those who aren’t?

The Top Snubs Of The 2023-24 All-Star Game

This season wasn’t the exception to that rule. Despite their great play for most of the campaign, they didn’t get the nod to make the big game. Here, we’re going to talk about those players.

3. De’Aaron Fox

The Sacramento Kings established themselves as one of the best in the game last season, even making the playoffs for the first time in quite a while. A lot of that had to do with De’Aaron Fox, who finally took a leap forward in his development.

The former lottery pick has been as good, if not better, this season. With averages of 27.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers per game, he has the Kings back in postseason contention.

2. Trae Young

We get it, some people don’t want to reward bad teams, and the Atlanta Hawks haven’t been very good this season. Even so, that doesn’t mean Trae Young shouldn’t get his flowers for the numbers he’s posted this season.

Besides being one of the flashiest and most spectacular passers and scorers in the game, Young’s averages of 27.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 3.3 three-pointers per game are more than All-Star-worthy.

1. Domantas Sabonis

It’s mind-boggling to see that Domantas Sabonis didn’t make the All-Star Game. He’s leading the league in total rebounds and rebounds per game, and is shooting a whopping 63.3% from the floor.

Sabonis is one of the best playmaking big men we’ve seen in quite a while, a perennial triple-double threat who can score at will in the restricted area. So far, he’s averaged 20.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game.

Things heated up in Game Two when Draymond Green stomped on Domantas Sabonis, in an episode that cost him a one-game suspension for the third game of the first-round series.

While many are horrified by Green’s attitude, NBA legend and current analyst Shaquille O’Neal understands him. In fact, the former Lakers star said he would have done the same thing than Green.

Shaq says he would have also stomped on Sabonis

“I’d do the same thing. I really would. Don’t be grabbing me,” Shaq said, via Fox News. “What am I gonna do? Like, if I stay there and just try to run forward, I’ll fall. You gotta get him up off you. And if you get him up off you and you in the way, you might get stomped on. Was it a dirty play? Of course it was a dirty play. … If you don’t grab me, this won’t happen.”

Shaq has a point, Sabonis started everything by grabbing Green’s leg. That said, what the Warriors star did was completely wrong and dangerous. Now he’ll have to face the consequences by missing a crucial Game Three for his team.

This time, the four-time NBA champion is facing backlash for stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest. The Sacramento Kings star clearly grabbed him by the leg and seemingly also tried to hurt him, but Green’s response was kind of over the top.

Whether Green purposely tried to hurt him or not is not for us to decide, but some of Sabonis’ compatriots didn’t take the gesture lightly. However, podcasterKarolis Tiškevičius may have taken things too far, as he had some serious remarks against Green.

Lithuanian Podcaster Calls Draymond Green A Monkey

“What happened yesterday in Sacramento, when Draymond Green just like a monkey was jumping,” Tiškevičius said. “There is no racism here. If you want, you can try to see this kind of jumping is a monkey jumping, and he was jumping on Domantas Sabonis. If you see racism here, it’s your own personal problem. It was horrible behavior, and later, he claimed that ‘my leg was stuck, I didn’t have anywhere to put my leg, and that’s how I stepped on him’. No, you kicked him because he held your leg. A real animal, animal.”

Needless to say, the podcaster is now facing plenty of criticism for his poor choice of words. Maybe he didn’t intend to be racist, but that’s not the kind of thing one should ever say about another person.

Of course, Green will never be a fan favorite in Lithuania after this incident, and rightfully so. But one needs to be extremely cautious when given such a big platform, and there’s just no place for that kind of language.

He’s been caught in the wrong end of some dirty plays throughout the course of his career, so he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt anymore, at least by the referees. Also, he’s not much of a fan favorite among rival fan bases.

That’s why so many weren’t surprised to see him stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest during the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Kings. However, he claims it was unintentional and explained just how things went down.

Draymond Green Explains His Incident With Domantas Sabonis

“My leg got grabbed. Second time in two nights. Referees just watch it,” Green said.“I gotta land my foot somewhere and I am not the most flexible person, so I can’t stretch it that far; I can only step so far with him pulling my leg away, it is what it is. The explanation was that I stomped too hard; I wasn’t surprised that he stayed down.”

Truth be told, Sabonis did grab Green’s leg, and it was obviously intentional, but Green’s stomp was also. If anything, they should’ve both been ejected, as Sabonis’ actions were also quite dangerous, he just wound up getting the worst of it.

Steve Kerr Claims He Didn’t See Anything

Notably, Warriors coach Steve Kerr claims he didn’t even look at the play. If anything, an assistant told him Green would be ejected, so all he was thinking about was getting ready for the remainder of the game.

“I didn’t see the play live, and then I didn’t see the replay,” Kerr said postgame. “I asked Zach Zarba what happened, and he told me. I was busy with getting the team ready. One of the coaches told me that he might get ejected, and so, I was trying to prepare for what was next.”

Now the Warriors are down 0-2 in a playoff series for the first time in Stephen Curry’s career. They’ve been tested before, and they’ve responded, but this is unchartered territory for the reigning champions.

With the series 1-0 for the Kings, Sacramento opened his court again this Monday to play against the Warriors. Golden State had to do everything to get a win and return back home with good news, but their rivals took the victory with a final 114-106 score.

Unfortunately, it was not the worst part for the Warriors. As things were not working out for them, Draymond Green wanted to take Sabonis out of the game and stomped on his chest, but the cameras caught the power forward’s action, and he was ejected immediately.

Draymond Green stomps on Domantas Sabonis’ chest and gets ejected[Video]

Draymond Green could miss the rest of the series against the Sacramento Kings. In Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the power forward made a dirty move against Domantas Sabonis, but he didn’t think the cameras would see him.

In the fourth quarter, with Sacramento winning 91-87, the Warriors gained possession of the ball after a failed field attempt by Malik Monk. During the play, Kings’ power forward Domantas Sabonis fell to the ground, and Green took advantage of the situation by stomping on his chest and jumping up again.

The game was immediately paused, and upon reviewing the replay, the referees decided to eject Green. As he exited the court, the Sacramento fans booed him, and he responded by yelling and facing them.

According to reports, it is unlikely to see Green again in the series against the Kings. However, the NBA has the final decision on the matter, announcing it before Game 3.

The former OKC Thunder forwardhas become one of the league’s most efficient scorers and prolific rebounders, and his playmaking skills for a guy his size make him an appealing asset for most contenders.

That’s why it’s not a surprise to see multiple teams, including the Washington Wizards, getting ready to make a big push to try and acquire his services; according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

NBA TradeRumors: Washington Wizards Want To Trade For Domantas Sabonis

“As the Wizards have discussed adding key reinforcements such as Jerami Grant, Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis has also emerged as another significant trade target, sources told B/R,“ Fischer wrote.

“Word has since trickled around the league that Beal would welcome playing with Sabonis, although one source with knowledge of the situation maintained Beal has not actively encouraged the Wizards to acquire him,” the report added.“League personnel say the Pacers are seeking a package similar to or greater than the haul Nikola Vucevic drew for theOrlando Magiclast season. Only Sacramento, New Orleans and Washington have been linked by league personnel as Sabonis suitors with significant interest.”

For context, the Magic got Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and a couple of first-round picks from the Bulls in return for Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu; so it’s only fair to think that Sabonis is worth something similar at the very least.

Thus far, the Lithuanian forward/center has been the lone bright spot for his team, boasting averages of 19.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game on 58.1% from the floor.