Domantas Sabonis downplayed the career- and franchise-best 28 rebounds he snagged for the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
Citing his teammates’ aggressiveness and ability to share the ball, Sabonis said the energy “becomes contagious.”
The Kings will hope to channel that energy again during a Sunday matinee against the host Chicago Bulls.
Friday’s 114-97 road win against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics stretched Sacramento’s winning streak to six games, all since Doug Christie took over as interim head coach, and brought the team back to .500 for the first time in a month.
“It’s important, but we’re not satisfied. We’ve got to keep going for more,” Sabonis said. “We’re building something. We’re building a standard. And that’s how we want to play every game, you know. So, our next one is Chicago, and we’ve got to come out like that.”
Kings second-leading scorer DeMar DeRozan will return to Chicago, where he was a fan favorite. Sacramento acquired DeRozan from Chicago in July as part of a sign-and-trade deal.
DeRozan averaged 25.5 points over his three seasons with the Bulls while frequently starring in the fourth quarter.
Not much has changed as DeRozan scored 12 of his 24 points Friday in the final quarter. With Sacramento playing without leading scorer De’Aaron Fox (glute contusion) for the third consecutive game, DeRozan paced a balanced attack that also featured Sabonis (23 points), Malik Monk (22), and Keegan Murray (19).
Christie said resilience and positivity have been the catalysts for the current run.
“More than anything, it’s the belief,” Christie said. “I think they’ve (begun) to believe in themselves, and that goes past coaching.”
Chicago has won three of five games to open 2025 while riding a scoring surge from Zach LaVine, who on Friday joined the company of Michael Jordan and DeRozan.
A 33-point performance in a 138-105 rout of visiting Washington marked LaVine’s fifth straight game with at least 30 points, a career- best streak. Jordan and DeRozan are the only other Bulls to accomplish the feat.
“When you’re in a rhythm,” LaVine said, “you obviously want to stay there.”
Considering his recent run against Sacramento, LaVine could remain in the zone Sunday. He is averaging 32.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in his past five games versus the Kings while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor.
Friday marked the start of a five-game homestand for Chicago, which is two games under .500 at 18-20 yet only 2 1/2 games out of sixth place in the Eastern Conference entering the weekend.
Finding consistency and maintaining scoring beyond LaVine will be the focus Sunday and beyond. Nikola Vucevic posted a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds against the Wizards while Coby White and Jalen Smith chipped in 15 points apiece.
Coach Billy Donovan has liked the team’s ball movement of late. The Bulls on Friday had a season-best 39 assists and their 138 points were one away from matching their season high.
“From the start, we’ve been an unselfish group,” Donovan said.
The all-time series between the Kings and Bulls is tied at 85. Sacramento is 6-4 in the past 10 meetings.
–Field Level Media
