Pacers’ Domantas Sabonis has historic brace of 25 rebounds in loss to Timberwolves

NS Indiana Pacers dropped to 9-14 of the season on Monday night as they suffered their third defeat in four games. This came under the hands of Minnesota Timberwolves, who came back from a 12-point deficit and held out the Pacers to a 100-98 win.

This was another disappointing night for the Pacers, but with a silver lining. Big man Domantas Sabonis made history as he finished with 16 points, 25 rebounds (the peak of his career) and 10 assists for his first double of the season. In the process, he became the first player to hit a triple triple 25 rebound since Shaquille O’Neal scored 24 points, 28 rebounds and 15 blocks in 1993. Additionally, he he became the first player scored 25 rebounds and 10 assists in a game since Maurice Lucas won 23 points, 26 rebounds and 10 assists in 1980.

The reverb isn’t the most exciting aspect of the game, but it’s pretty impressive watching Sabonis clean up on glass. With Myles Turner sidelined with a non-COVID illness, Sabonis was the only real big man to play key minutes for the Pacers. That left him mostly alone in the paint, and he was all over the place, winning 25 of the Pacers’ 47 rebounds in the game.

Unfortunately for the Pacers, he couldn’t attack enough accommodation in the box. It was not for lack of effort, however, as he made a series of beautiful plays as a support, assisting three straight throws on a point in the fourth half. He even launched two clutch free throws to make the score 94 after just over a minute of play. However, that wasn’t enough as the Wolves escaped with victory.

This season, Sabonis is having 17.3 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists per game. His goalscoring and assists are down slightly from last season, but his overall impact is positive as he boasts a real stat difference of 5.7. However, like on Monday night, Sabonis’ efforts are often not enough.

The Pacers were defeated for most of the season and drifted further and further out of the playoff picture. It’s still only the end of November, but the Pacers are close to Orlando Magic for the worst record in the Eastern Conference (4.5 games ago) like them Charlotte Hornets for the 6th seed (less than four games).