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Jonathan Bradley

Playing through injury, the Kings star big man came through in a much-needed win over a Western Conference powerhouse.&nbsp;

Late in the third quarter of Wednesday’s matchup against Denver, Nuggets guard&nbsp;Davon Reed pulled up for a 14-foot jumper that hit all net and extended the away team’s lead to 19 points, 100-81, with just 3:26 left in the stanza.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The shot gave Denver their largest lead of the game and all but assured the Nuggets their second win over the Kings in as many nights.&nbsp;&nbsp;

But on the very next possession, Kings big man Domantas Sabonis nailed a 3-pointer that not only gave Sacramento life, but also hopes of making a comeback.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sabonis’ triple sparked a 13-5 run to end the quarter and gave the Kings the boost they needed entering the final frame.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sacramento continued to chip away at the lead, eventually cutting it to four, 112-108, with 6:02 to play thanks to a Sabonis layup, his 25th point of the game. His dunk with 55 seconds left gave the Kings their first lead of the game and one they would not relinquish.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sabonis, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds to log his 11th-straight double-double of the season. That output has become expected from the seven-year vet, despite playing under unexpected circumstances last night.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just two games prior, Sabonis was sidelined late in the game with what was eventually diagnosed as a UCL avulsion fracture in his right thumb. According to Injury Analyst Jeff Stotts, that injury has relegated other players to street clothes for an average of 25 games.&nbsp;

He returned to the lineup last night to help the Kings take down the Nuggets and proved to be a difference maker in a matchup that saw Denver take the first game of the back-to-back by seven points.&nbsp;

Domas being a difference maker is nothing new to Kings fans. He’s anchored the squad on the offensive and defensive ends all season and continues to set a blazing pace in several statistical categories.&nbsp;

No. 10 has three games this season where he’s put up at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists and needed just 45 games in a Kings jersey to break the record for most 20-20-5 games, previously held by Chris Webber, who set the record in 377 games.&nbsp;

He currently ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in nine different stats, all impactful in their own right:&nbsp;

These numbers put Sabonis on pace to earn his third-career All-Star appearance, and when compared to his stats the first two selections, the 6-foot-10 center should be a lock for Utah in February.&nbsp;&nbsp;

During his 2019-20 All-Star campaign, Sabonis averaged 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5 assists. The next season – his second straight All-Star nod – he put up 20.2 points, 12 rebounds and 6.7 assists.&nbsp;&nbsp;

He currently matching his scoring output from 2019 and is equaling his assist total from 2020, which happens to be a career high.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If he can keep this pace for the rest of the season and continue smashing Kings records along the way, it’ll be tough to deny Sabonis a spot not only on the 2023 All-Star team, but also on one of the three All-NBA lineups.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Help Sabonis make the All-Star Game by voting daily, here >> https://www.Kings.com/vote

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Sabonis Stamps All-Star Case in Kings Comeback Win Over Nuggets

Over the first quarter of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Sacramento Kings have established themselves as one of the best offenses in The Association and are putting up numbers akin to some of the most potent offenses in league history.&nbsp;&nbsp;

That success has not gone unnoticed, as pundits from across the NBA spectrum have started to take a closer look at the reasons why the Kings have been able to put up such gaudy numbers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

One of the best pieces of analysis on Sacramento’s newfound success comes from Ben Taylor, author of the Thinking Basketball book and host of the podcast with the same name.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Taylor asserts that Sacramento’s turnaround this season is not just the result of the late-season addition of Domantas Sabonis and offseason acquisitions of Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter, but more so how new head coach Mike Brown has implemented a system that fully takes advantage of their talents.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Taylor’s initial premise surmises that the Kings have found success this season by taking pieces bits and pieces from the Warriors, where Mike Brown spent the last six years of his coaching career, while also capitalizing on the passing and scoring abilities of Sabonis, the shooting of Monk and Huerter and the speed of Fox.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In addition to that, Taylor points out that the Kings have taken a page out from the playbook of the Denver Nuggets, one of the league’s most successful regular season teams over the last half decade, in positioning Sabonis as the centerpiece of the offense.&nbsp;&nbsp;

And the comparisons aren’t too far-fetched.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sabonis has been one of the main facilitators of the Kings offense this season. When he isn’t taking the ball up the court himself after snatching a defensive rebound, he’s setting up in the high post and working to get his teammates open through DHOs or looking to make the right pass after the rest of the squad works through their split actions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Warriors have been running split actions for years, but the Kings, now with the pieces to effectively execute, have implemented their own version to much success. They, like Golden State, currently ranked top 5 in both screen assists per game (9.6) and screen assists points per game (22.8)&nbsp;

The Kings are also currently the second highest scoring team in the league, behind the Celtics, averaging 118.7 points per game so far this season. If they continue at that clip, they would have one of the 30 best offensive seasons in NBA history. Any increase in output would make them the second team since the 1984-85 (Nuggets) season to average more than 120 points per game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

And as the Warriors have shown over the years, you can hit those numbers without playing at pace, something the Kings have done exceptionally well this season thanks to having the league’s fastest player, De’Aaron Fox, on the roster.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sacramento is currently the sixth fastest team in the league, right behind the Warriors and just behind the Pacers, Lakers and Timberwolves. Taylor points out that Sacramento’s ability to get out and run has helped them exploit mismatches and shorthanded opposing defenses on the other end.&nbsp;&nbsp;

That has manifested itself on the scoreboard, too, as the squad also ranks top 5 in fastbreak points per game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Fox has always been a dynamic player offensively, but often draws massive attention from defenses. He’s been freed up a bit this season thanks to the summer acquisitions of Monk and Huerter.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Both guards are putting up career numbers this season, as Monk is averaging 14.8 points on 48% shooting from the field – both career bests – while Huerter is hitting an absurd 42% of his shots from deep, also a career-high.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This improved shooting, as Taylor points out, has opened the door for Fox to take his game to the next level and put up All-Star worthy numbers with the team success to match.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After getting off to their best start in 18 years, the Kings will continue to be closely watched as they navigate the 2022-23 season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Kings Dynamic Offense Analyzed In Epic Video Breakdown

Savannah Haynes

Malik Monk's basketball career started at East Poinsett County High School in Lepanto, Arkansas. &nbsp;

With his help, the team finished 25-8 overall record and earned an&nbsp;appearance in the Class 2A State Championship game. As a freshman, he averaged 22.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The following year, he transferred to Bentonville, where he would finish out the rest of his high school career. Monk's game continued to improve with time, averaging 26.6 points per game as a junior. He also had the opportunity to compete in the 2015 Nike Global Challenge for the East team, where he averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, which earned him the Tournament MVP Honors. &nbsp;

As a senior, he averaged 28.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 7.6 rebounds per game and was recruited to play in the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game. Because of his wild success during that game, he earned Co-MVP honors alongside his best friend, De'Aaron Fox. Monk ended his senior year as the No. 9&nbsp;overall player and No. 1&nbsp;shooting guard in the Class of 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The passionate basketball player briefly described his upbringing and the people in his life that got him to where he is now:&nbsp;

"My momma sacrificed everything to take care of me… and my brother quit his basketball and football career to make sure I was good," Monk stated. He goes on to express that all his hard work and career are essentially based on returning the favor to the two most impactful people in his life.&nbsp;

Following a successful high school career, Monk decided to commit to the University of Kentucky. Luckily, Fox would also commit to Kentucky, allowing them to play together during their first year of college. Monk spent the season being a valuable player to Kentucky by setting the school's record for most points in a game by a freshman when he put up 47 points in a win over the University of North Carolina. He was named the SEC player and Freshman of the Year while also being named First-team All-SEC and the SEC All-Freshman team.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After his first year at the University of Kentucky, Monk announced that he would forgo his last three years of college and enter the 2017 NBA Draft. With his talent, he ended up being the 11th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets. He played with the Hornets for four years until he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. While with the lakers, Monk put up a career-high 41 points against the Denver Nuggets.&nbsp;

In 2022, he signed a two-year contract with the Sacramento Kings, reuniting with&nbsp;Fox. Monk described their friendship as being more of brotherhood before anything else. He emphasized their success in college together and wants to replicate the same energy this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I'm doing whatever to help the team win," was Malik Monk's humble response during a one-on-one interview with a Kings Social Media Manager Jonathan Bradley. &nbsp;

With six years of NBA experience, you can truly feel the passion Malik has for basketball. &nbsp;

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Get to Know Malik Monk

Kings guard Matthew Dellavedova was born and raised in Victoria, Australia. He grew up participating in multiple sports, such as tennis, soccer, and Australian football, but eventually committed to one --&nbsp;basketball.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Matthew played junior Basketball for Maryborough Blazers and Bendigo Braves. In addition, he played Basketball for Victoria country but eventually left and attended the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) in Canberra. Between 2007 and 2009, Dellavedova played for the AIS Southeast Australian Basketball League, averaging 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 18 games in 2008 and 10.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in nine games in 2009.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In 2009, Dellavedova committed to moving to the United States to play for Saint Mary’s of California. After signing with the Gaels, he earned a starting spot&nbsp;as a freshman and averaged 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game that season. He would continue growing his skillset with Saint Mary’s until his graduation in 2013. He finished his college career with a BA in Psychology and as the all-time leader in scoring, assists, games played, free throw percentage, and 3-point shots and attempts. With the success Dellavedova brought to Saint Mary’s, the college decided to honor him by retiring his jersey in 2014.&nbsp;

After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, Matthew joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for Summer League. Later that year, he signed a two-year contract with the team and helped the squad to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. &nbsp;

Dellavedova spent the next two seasons with&nbsp;the Milwaukee Bucks&nbsp;but returned to Cleveland in 2018. In 2021, Matthew signed a three-year deal with Melbourne United of the Australian NBL, averaging 10.3 points and 4.3 assists per game during the season. After playing with Melbourne United for a year, Dellavedova returned to the NBA.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dellavedova signed with the Kings this summer, reuniting with former Cavs head coach Mike Brown,&nbsp;and looks to establish himself a leader in the locker room this upcoming season.

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Get to Know Matthew Dellavedova 

Former University of Alabama guard Keon Ellis is eager to make an impact in Stockton and Sacramento this season after signing a two-way contract with the Kings for the 2022-23 season.&nbsp;

Ellis’ love for basketball stems back to his youth, when he played recreational ball with older people in his community. However, the sport didn't come naturally to him at first.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I liked football more," Ellis said in a one-on-one with Jonathan Bradley. "I played a little bit of everything, running back, quarterback, wide receiver, line… luckily, I didn't do it for long; otherwise, we wouldn't have been successful.”&nbsp;

Ellis played basketball for Eustis High School in his home state of Florida before transferring to Leesburg High School. In his junior year, he helped lead Leesburg to their first Class 6A state title since 2011. In his senior year, Ellis averaged 12.7 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists per game, leading his team to a 29–1 record and another 6A title. He committed to Gardner Webb as a senior but enrolled in Florida Southwestern, a junior college.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As a freshman in college, Ellis averaged 8.3 points and three rebounds per game, earning Second Team All-Suncoast Conference honors. Ellis averaged 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game in his sophomore season. The same year, he was recognized as a second team NJCAA Division I All-American and Suncoast Conference Player of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As a junior, Ellis transferred to Alabama, averaging 5.5 points and four rebounds per game. In his final collegiate season, he averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and two steals per game en route to a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Now, as a shooting guard for the Kings, Ellis has logged seven games in the 2022 summer league averaging 11.4 points on 44.1% shooting from the field and an impressive 46.9% clip from deep to go with 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.&nbsp;&nbsp;

When asked what it meant to be him to be a member of the Kings, he humbly responded, "it's a blessing to be here; it still hasn't hit me that I'm in the NBA."&nbsp;&nbsp;

As the season approaches, fans are eager to know how Ellis will contribute to the team's success. But they can likely count on the rookie making plays in some capacity.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"Every time he's out there,” Kings general manager Monte McNair said. “He's making something happen.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Get to Know Keon Ellis

Chima Moneke is determined to become a vital player for the Sacramento Kings.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Leading, playing hard, running, defense, turning up the crowd, becoming a fan favorite is all I need to do to stay on the court and help the team win,” said Moneke during an interview with&nbsp;Jonathan Bradley. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Chima has set the tone for the entire season with energy and eagerness to win.  &nbsp;

Before his professional career with the NBA, he played for Northeast Community College. As a freshman, he averaged 10.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.1 BPG, and 1.2 SPG. Then, as a sophomore, he averaged 17 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.  &nbsp;

He then transferred to the University of California at Davis. In 2016, he&nbsp;became the first UC Davis men’s basketball player to be named Big West Conference Representative at the 2016 NCAA Leadership Forum. In that game, Moneke had 18 points and 12 rebounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The following year, at UC Davis, he averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per performance in 21 games.  &nbsp;

After not being selected in the 2018 Draft, he signed with the Rouen Métropole Basket of the French LNB Pro B. Later that year, he left the Rouens and signed with the Denian Voltaire Basket, another French LNB Pro B team. Throughout that season, he averaged 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 27 games.  &nbsp;

In the 2019-2020 season, he signed for the Béliers de Kemper of the French LNB Pro B, in which he averaged 15.8 points, 6.75 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Then, in the 2021-2022 season, he signed with Orléans Loiret Basket of the LNB Pro A, where he averaged 12.5 points, six rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.  &nbsp;

This summer, he signed with the Sacramento Kings for the 2022-23 season. When asked how he believes his skillset will help the team, he humbly responded, “everyone needs guys who are willing to sacrifice.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

Moneke is willing to put the work in and do his time to play for the Kings.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I’ll do whatever I need to help the team win.” &nbsp;

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Get to Know Chima Moneke

KZ Okpala began playing basketball at 4 years old, and by 11, knew he wanted to pursue a career as a professional athlete. So, it is no surprise that the 6-foot-8 power forward finds himself vying for a spot on the Sacramento Kings roster headed into the 2022-23 season.   

The California native attended Anaheim’s Esperanza High School and joined the basketball team’s starting lineup as a sophomore. Okpala averaged 23 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior, leading his high school to a conference title and was named the Crestview League Player of the Year.  &nbsp;

Okpala showed marked improvement during his senior season, averaging 30 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks per game in his final year of high school, including a 46-point record setting outburst.  &nbsp;

On his way out of Esperanza, he led the squad to its first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II championship, scoring 22 points throughout the game. Because of this, he earned another Crestview League Player of the Year award and played in the Ballislife All-American Game.  &nbsp;

In 2016, he committed to playing basketball at Stanford University. He averaged 10 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game in his freshman season. As a sophomore, he was recognized as the Pac-12 Conference player of the week, and after a successful season, decided to forgo his final two years at Stanford and declare for the NBA draft in 2019.  &nbsp;

Okpala was initially drafted by the Phoenix Suns but was soon traded to the Miami Heat in 2019. Then, in 2020, he was selected by Nigeria to play in the Tokyo Olympics under current Kings head coach Mike Brown.  &nbsp;

He eventually signed with the Sacramento Kings in 2022, where he hopes his lockdown defense and high energy earn him a spot on the final roster.  &nbsp;

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Get to Know KZ Okpala

Kenneth Reprado

Through five seasons in the NBA, former first-round pick Malik Monk has seen his share of ups and downs but is coming off his best single season in the Association and is now reunited with his former Kentucky teammate in Sactown. The 6-foot-3 guard joins the squad as a lights-out shooter, effective passer, and quality defender. 

We take a look back at Monk’s five best games over his five-year career to give Kings fans an idea of what they should expect from the 24-year-old this upcoming season in Sacramento.  

In the last game of the 2021-22 regular season, Malik Monk scored a career-high 41 points in an overtime thriller versus the Denver Nuggets. Monk led all scorers while shooting 45 percent (14-25) from the field and 18 of his 41 points came from the 4th quarter alone.  

Lakers at Rockets – December 28, 2021  

After a five-game absence due to Health and Safety Protocols, Monk returned better than he left with a string of 20-plus point games. Malik scored 25 points in his second game following his return, playing efficiently to average 50 percent (7-14) from the field and a perfect clip from the charity stripe to be the second-highest scorer on the Lakers that night.  

In a February contest versus the Heat, Monk scored a season-high 36 points and connected on a career-high nine three-pointers made off the bench. Starting off strong shooting perfectly from beyond the arc with 12 points in the 1st quarter, Malik continued to shine with another 14 points before helping Charlotte secure the win in overtime. Leading all scorers, Monk finished with an incredible 69 percent (9-13) from downtown.  

Monk may be the “God of Dunk,” but he can throw some lobs too. In his rookie season, Malik recorded a career-high eight assists to help lead his team to a 137-100 victory versus the Orlando Magic. Along with a night of lobs, he also recorded a season-high 26 points, showing the potential of the versatile Kentucky product.  

 Lakers at Hawks – January 30, 2022  

He can rebound too! On January 30th, Monk recorded a career-high 10 defensive rebounds versus the Hawks. In addition to the record-setting rebounding night, Malik also added 33 points, while connecting on 57 percent (8-14) of his shots beyond the arc and 63 percent (12-19) from the field.