Domantas Sabonis sat in front of his locker after going through pregame warmups prior to Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sabonis said he planned to play after missing the past two games due to a left ribcage contusion, but he was still experiencing considerable pain, discomfort, labored breathing and a “sharp stab” sensation in his ribs.
“You don’t want to keep losing games,” Sabonis said. “I love the game and we’re not winning, so you want to try to turn things around.”
Sabonis turned in a valiant effort, but he couldn’t prevent the Kings from suffering another blowout loss as Anthony Edwards scored 26 points to lead the Timberwolves to a 144-117 victory at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Jaden McDaniels scored 21 points for the Timberwolves (6-4). Rudy Gobert had 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Julius Randle also scored 19 points.
Zach LaVine scored 26 points to lead the Kings (3-7). DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points. Sabonis had 20 points on 5-of-17 shooting with 13 rebounds and three assists.
Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) reacts after scoring three points during a game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
Halftime report
The Kings trailed 20-14 after going 5 of 14 from the field with three turnovers over the first six minutes. Sabonis missed five of his first six shots while being guarded by Gobert, a 7-foot-1 center with four Defensive Player of the Year awards.
The Kings trailed by as many as nine while going 9 of 24 from the field in the opening period. They were down 31-25 at the end of the first quarter after LaVine hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Minnesota went up by 10 early in the second period. The Kings came back to cut the deficit to four on a baseline jumper by LaVine, but the Timberwolves responded with an 11-0 run to take a 60-45 lead.
Minnesota led 71-54 at the halftime break. The Timberwolves shot 53.3% while holding the Kings to 39.6%.
Second-half summary
The Kings cut the deficit to 13 early in the second half, but they were outscored 14-5 over the next 3:14 as the Timberwolves opened up a 22-point lead. Minnesota went up by as many as 28 points in the third quarter and led 111-84 going into the fourth.
Sacramento’s performance brought on a chorus of boos and a resounding “We want Keon” chant. The biggest ovation of the night came when Keon Ellis, who has fallen out of the rotation despite being one of the team’s best defenders and 3-point shooters, entered the game for the first time at the start of the fourth quarter.
Up next
The Kings will play the fourth game on this five-game homestand when they entertain the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
The Nuggets (7-2) have won four in a row. They are coming off of a 117-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
The Kings will face the Nuggets for the second time in nine days after suffering a 130-124 loss in Denver on Nov. 3. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic had 34 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists in that contest.
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