Sabonis breaks tie with Jokic for NBA triple-double lead with 16, Kings rout Nuggets 135-106

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to break a tie with Nikola Jokic for the NBA triple-double lead with 16 and the Sacramento Kings beat the Denver Nuggets 135-106 on Friday night.

Jokic, the NBA triple-double leader the last two seasons, had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to fall just short of keeping pace with Sabonis.

The defending champion Nuggets lost for the first time in four games and missed a chance to slip past the Minnesota Timberwolves for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Malik Monk added 23 points for the Kings. Keegan Murray had 17.

Sabonis is a major reason why the Kings are still in contention in their quest to make back-to-back appearances in the postseason since 2004-06.

A three-time All-Star who didn’t make the team this season, Sabonis shot 7 of 9 from the floor and had 16 of his rebounds off the defensive glass. He is attempting to become the second Kings player in the Sacramento era to lead the NBA in triple-doubles. Chris Webber shared the league lead of five with Jason Kidd during the 1999-2000 season.

That helped pave the way for the Kings, two days after they became one of only seven teams to lose to the Detroit Pistons this season.

Sacramento rebounded from a loss to lowly Detroit against the defending champs. The Kings led by 32, forced 20 turnovers and held a 65-42 advantage in bench scoring.

Aaron Gordon scored 14 points for Denver. Christian Braun added 13 and Jamal Murray had 12. The Nuggets were playing on the second-half of a back-to-back after beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Monk made one of the biggest plays of the night when he stole an inbounds pass and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: At Milwaukee on Monday night.

Kings: At Oklahoma City on Sunday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba