Sacramento ended a four-game losing streak on Monday evening after beating Memphis 132 to 122, despite losing Domantas Sabonis twice during the game. The Kings have historically played poorly when their star big man is out, but this time around they’ve proved to have enough depth to take on the Grizzlies.
Early in the game, he suffered a cut over his left eye, with blood falling down his face, after he was hit by the back of rival Luke Kennard’s head. The Kings center returned but then left for good in the third quarter when he rolled over his right ankle, and exited the game with help from the medical staff.
Once the game against Memphis was over, coach Doug Christie didn’t have an update on Domantas’ situation, but his teammates guaranteed that he’ll be back soon. “I’m always concerned when my teammate’s not on the court, man,” shared Kings’ Malik Monk during a postgame interview.
“I really didn’t see the play till I looked up, but it looked pretty bad. But Doman is strong, he’ll probably be back sooner than we think,” the guard said about the player who had just returned to action this past weekend after missing six contests due to a hamstring injury.
Before the game, news surfaced about Sabonis starring in a plan to raise awareness to help the families still affected by January’s wildfires in California. During the next 40 rebounds that the 28-year-old collects at the Golden 1 Center, he will donate a total of $100,000.
A statement was recently released about this new initiative to help the community. “Domantas and Shashana Sabonis are launching an on-court initiative to raise awareness and money for the thousands of families affected by the California Wildfires,” it reads.
“The Sabonis family will donate $2,500 for every rebound that Domantas grabs at every Sacramento Kings home game beginning on March 17. The challenge will continue until he grabs 40 rebounds for a total donation of $100K,” said the Sabonis family.