Recently, against the Magic, Domantas Sabonis had one of his worst games ever as a Sacramento King, possibly of his career. But he bounced back quickly and delivered a quintessential Sabonis performance against the Blazers. The question is what happened in that one anomalous game.
If there are two things that everyone knows about Sabonis, it's that he is a double-double machine and one of the most productive rebounders in the NBA. So far in 2026-2027, he has seven double-doubles, one triple-double, and a grand total of 145 rebounds. He's having a solid season overall.
That's what made his performance against the Magic on November 10th such a strange one. He played 23+ minutes but finished the game with zero points, two rebounds, and five assists. Sabonis only took two shots from the field the entire game, one of which was from beyond the arc.
His next game after that was against the Blazers on November 13th, and it was an almost immediate return to form for the All-Star big man. This time, Sabonis finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. He also shot nine of 16 from the field, which included going one of three from the arc.
Sabonis had one major anomaly of a game
There are a lot of factors at play for him. He is still recovering from the injury and resulting surgery that benched him for most of last season. Sabonis missed the game before his faceoff with the Magic due to ankle issues related to that injury. He says he's 100%, but that doesn't feel like the whole truth.
Another problem has to be the current state of the Kings and his place in it. Sacramento is pushing away from using him as the focus of their offense, making him less effective. He's rumored to be unhappy and wants out. That situation could be playing havoc with his mindset.
To be fair, some credit also has to be given to the Magic. They played a good defensive game that severely disrupted Sabonis' usual pick-and-roll routine, which makes him so productive. Orlando put Sabonis completely off his game and shifted him to a rather unproductive position.
Hopefully, that stays a one-off situation. Sabonis is reportedly looking for a trade, and his expensive contract combined with his lackluster defense has already made it difficult to do that. If he keeps putting up goose eggs, the chances of moving him before his contract runs out drop dramatically.
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