The Sacramento Kings thought that landing Domantas Sabonis would push them into the play-in round of the postseason. Instead, they've remained on the outside looking in. They are just 4-7 with Sabonis on the roster and are four games behind the No. 10 seeded New Orleans Pelicans. Their frustrations came to a head on Monday in a disappointing loss to the New York Knicks.
Sacramento led New York by 20 points in the first half, but blew that lead in the second and fell down by as many as 23 points themselves. Late in the fourth quarter with the outcome long since decided, Sabonis was unhappy with a foul called by an official and got ejected for making contact with him. Now, he has been suspended for a game due to that contact.
Domantas Sabonis makes contact with the ref and gets ejected pic.twitter.com/gwsQqvH0pV
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) March 8, 2022
Sabonis will serve his suspension on Wednesday, when the Kings face off against the Denver Nuggets. Sacramento losing its star center when it's about to face an MVP candidate at the position in Nikola Jokic is far from ideal, but at this stage, little can be done to salvage its season. Barring a miraculous run, the Kings are destined for the lottery yet again.
The Kings have not made the postseason since 2006. They've done everything in their power to change that this season. The Sabonis trade was supposed to push them over the top. But the lottery streak will, in all likelihood, continue, and any hopes they still had took a significant hit when Sabonis was suspended against Denver. Every game counts for the Kings, but this one is looking like a likely loss.
