Domantas Sabonis recorded 22 points and 14 rebounds in his Sacramento debut and Damion Mitchell broke the game’s final tie with a dunk with 4:13 remaining as the host Kings avenged a blowout loss the day before with a 132-119 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
Acquired on Tuesday but unavailable when the Kings were drubbed 134-114 by the Timberwolves that night in the opener of a two-day, two-game sequence, Sabonis arrived in time to help Sacramento win for the third time in its past five games.
Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday, also acquired in the six-player trade with the Indiana Pacers, combined for 20 points and nine assists for Sacramento. The Kings avoided a season-series sweep with their first win in three tries against Minnesota this season.
D’Angelo Russell produced 29 points and 10 assists, Anthony Edwards scored 26 and Karl-Anthony Towns put up 21 points for the Timberwolves, whose five-game winning streak ended.
Unlike the set opener, when the Timberwolves gradually pulled away in the final 12 minutes, the teams battled through five ties and five lead changes in the fourth quarter, with Mitchell’s dunk giving Sacramento the upper hand for good at 117-115.
De’Aaron Fox followed with a layup, Sabonis tipped in a Fox miss and Harrison Barnes sank a 3-pointer, putting Sacramento in command at 124-115 with 2:24 to go.
Sabonis, who arrived at a heavy price that included young star guard Tyrese Haliburton, posted his 35th double-double of the season. He shot 10-for-19, and his rebound total was a game high.
One night after the Timberwolves dominated the boards to the tune of 49-38, Sabonis helped Sacramento turn the tables with a 51-34 advantage.
Making three 3-pointers, Lamb finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks, while Holiday complemented six points with four assists and two steals.
Barnes totaled a game-high 30 points, Fox 27 and Mitchell 18 to go with seven rebounds and a team-high seven assists. Chimezie Metu was a sixth King scoring in double figures with 13 points.
Jaden McDaniels added 13 for the Timberwolves, who were outshot 51.6 percent to 44.9 percent. Jarred Vanderbilt collected a team-high 11 rebounds along with eight points.
Minnesota led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter.
–Field Level Media