Kings center Domantas Sabonis posts league-leading 24th triple-double in win over Raptors

There was no letting up from the Sacramento Kings north of the border.

The Kings, who have made letdown games common this season, took care of the struggling and shorthanded Toronto Raptors, winning 123-89 on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena.

Sacramento improved to 7-3 in March and remained in sixth place in the Western Conference standings. The Kings (40-28) entered the night percentage points ahead of the Dallas Mavericks, who come to Sacramento for two games next week.

The game was so lopsided De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis were able to enjoy the fourth quarter from the bench after playing just 28 and 27 minutes, respectively. That could be beneficial for the Kings, who will play the Washington Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back Thursday in Washington D.C.

“It’s big,” Sabonis said. “We haven’t (sat out the fourth quarter) in a while. Tomorrow is another test and we gotta go and take care of business. We’re fighting for that sixth and fifth seed.”

The Kings were paced by Fox’s 20 points and Malik Monk’s 17. Harrison Barnes added 16 points.

Sabonis notched his 51st consecutive double-double and his league-leading 24th triple-double. He had 13 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.

Sabonis’ double-double streak is the 14th-longest in NBA history, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone. It’s the second-longest streak since the ABA-NBA merger. His 38 triple-doubles since the start of last season are second most in the NBA.

“It’s a shame but that’s what he is. He’s a walking triple-double machine,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “And I say it’s a shame because it should be celebrated a ton, but that’s what he does. ... That’s why he should be in the conversation for MVP and that’s why he should have been an All-Star, especially with us being a top-six team and being the only top-six team without an NBA All-Star.”

Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points to lead the Raptors (23-46).

The Kings led by as many as 38 points in the third quarter. The 34-point victory was their second-most lopsided win of the year after beating the Milwaukee Bucks by 35 last week at Golden 1 Center.

The Raptors, who entered the night 12th in the Eastern Conference, were missing four starters: Scottie Barnes (left hand fracture), RJ Barrett (personal reasons), Immanuel Quickley (personal reasons) and Jakob Poeltl (torn ligament in left hand). Toronto has lost eight in a row.

With Kevin Huerter sidelined, the Kings improved to 7-0 with guard Keon Ellis in the starting lineup. Ellis earned defensive player of the game honors for the fifth time this season. Ellis had four steals and a block following his five-block performance Monday against the Grizzlies.

“I think he’s been preparing and waiting for this moment,” Barnes said of Ellis. “Just to be able to show on a consistent basis what he can do. There are some things he does out there — some of the steals he makes, some of the blocks he makes — it’s all the things that he can do.”

Ellis went undrafted and played just 16 games as a rookie last season. This year he has appeared in 43 games and figures to be a key player going forward given his length and on-ball defense. Ellis has been among the reasons the Kings have improved defensively.

Through 10 games in March, Sacramento ranks fourth in defensive efficiency, allowing 108.5 points per 100 possessions. They’ve moved up to 15th on the season.

“I think it’s more communication, guys being in their spots,” Ellis said. “Then I think with us knowing that (we’re) playing better defense, it leads to easier points. I think being locked in more on the defensive end ... you get a stop and create a turnover, you create easier points for the team, so you’re not always in the half court and have to put a lot of pressure on Fox and Domas to create for us.

To Ellis’ point, the Kings had 36 fastbreak points to 20 for Toronto.

The Kings took control of the game in the second quarter when they doubled up the Raptors 36-18 and hit halftime leading by 23. Fox and Monk each had 15 points in the first half while Sacramento limited Toronto to 40% shooting.

The Kings were coming off an overtime win against Memphis that was closer that Brown liked given the Grizzlies were also missing several rotation players.

Brown noted after that game Sacramento allowed 23 second-chance points. The Kings had the advantage 18-5 in that number during the first half Wednesday. They also made Toronto pay for turnovers, scoring 17 points off 11 giveaways.

They finished with 23 second-chance points and 27 points off Raptors turnovers through three quarters before garbage time. Sacramento outscored the Raptors 67-38 in the second and third quarters.

For the Raptors, Barrett has been away from the team mourning the death of his younger brother, who died last week after reportedly falling ill. Wednesday marked Barrett’s fourth game away from the team. The Raptors don’t have a timetable for his return.

Fox registered a steal in the first quarter, extending his streak to 14 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NBA. He finished with two steals.

Huerter not with team

The Kings didn’t have an official update on guard Kevin Huerter after he dislocated his left shoulder in Monday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He did not travel with the team to Toronto. Ellis started in Huerter’s place on Wednesday.

Huerter sustained the injury during the first quarter on a fastbreak layup attempt when Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane hit his left arm. The 25-year-old required help off the floor and immediately went to the locker room.

Recent history suggests NBA players who suffer dislocated shoulders are often out weeks, which is notable given the Kings’ regular-season schedule ends April 14, 27 days after the injury occurred.

Fernandez ready to lead Team Canada

Scotiabank Arena will always hold significance for Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez. The Kings’ lead assistant earned his first NBA win in a head coaching role last season after taking over when Brown was ejected during Sacramento’s last trip to Toronto in December 2022.

Fernandez on Wednesday had a rare pregame press conference for an assistant coach, meeting with Canadian reporters to discuss the upcoming summer Olympics. Fernandez will coach Team Canada in Paris.

The Canadian team is expected to be a medal contender in Paris. The roster won’t be finalized until later, but Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets standout Jamal Murray could form the starting back court, while Andrew Wiggins, Barrett, Dillon Brooks and Luguentz Dort could also be in the mix.

Fernandez said the Kings remain his top priority until the end of the season, but he’s been able to keep tabs on Canadian roster candidates throughout the campaign without losing focus.

“It’s pretty cool because you don’t get away from it,” Fernandez said. “I’m focused on what I’m doing right now, but a lot of things can help me in the near future. ... I’m focused on the season right now and then after that just bring the same excitement to the first day of training camp.”