NBA Top Five Performances, March 16: Domantas Sabonis’ Helped Kings Clinch First Winning Season Since 2006

TOP PLAYERS OF THE DAY:

The Sacramento Kings continued their surprise season with a victory against the Brooklyn Nets. Domantas Sabonis had 24 points, 21 rebounds, and five assists to secure a winning record for the first time since 2005-06. It was Sabonis’ league-leading 56th double-double. The Kings have the opportunity to end the longest active postseason drought in the four major sports.

“Being here for over four years now, seeing the very bottom, and seeing the frustration of fans and the people in the organization, I think it’s nice to be on the other side of it,” Kings forward Harrison Barnes said. “A lot of people don’t get a chance to stay in an organization long enough to see the good times. They just see the bad side, so I consider myself fortunate to be a part of this moment.”

OTHERS:

- Pascal Siakam had 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in the Toronto Raptors’ blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

- Josh Okogie stuffed the stat sheet against the Orlando Magic to help the Phoenix Suns stop a three-game losing streak. Okogie had 15 points, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks, including the clinching block on Paolo Banchero.

- Andrew Nembhard’s 24-point performance led the Indiana Pacers in their big win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

- Nikola Jokic flirted with another triple double against the Detroit Pistons to help the Denver Nuggets end their four game losing streak. Jokic had 30 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.