Mike Brown: ‘Shame on whole process’ if Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox aren’t All-Stars
Kings big man Domantas Sabonis on Friday posted his fourth triple-double of the season and took away a piece of history.
He scored 19 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished 16 assists while adding two blocks and two steals in the 139-114 win over the Houston Rockets.
The only other player in NBA history with at least 15-15-15-2-2: Larry Bird. Oddly enough, Bird’s night came on Jan. 13, 1982, exactly 41 years prior to the day Sabonis matched it.
Sacramento coach Mike Brown afterwards went to bat for Sabonis and point guard De’Aaron Fox, who is having a career year in his own right, regarding the All-Star Game taking place in Salt Lake City on Feb. 19.
“If he and Foxy aren’t an All-Star, shame on the whole process,” Brown said.
The latest All-Star fan voting results that came out Thursday had Fox 10th among Western Conference guards in voting while Sabonis remains outside of the top 10 for frontcourt players.
If there’s good news for Brown and his players, fan votes account for 50% of the total vote to determine the All-Star starters. Current players and media members vote on the remaining 50% while reserves are chosen by NBA head coaches. Voting ends Jan. 22.
Sabonis has a league-leading 32 double-doubles on the season. His performance on Friday marked his 19th straight, which is tied for the seventh-longest streak in the league over the last 10 years. Sabonis leads all centers in rebounding (12.5 per game) and is second in assists (7.1) behind two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
“And it’s not like we’re sitting in 12th place,” Brown said. “I truly believe you have to give it heavy consideration to everybody’s record when it comes to voting for All-Star players. And Domas and Foxy, they’re just not getting enough love, and it’s a shame.”
Fox entered Friday’s game second in the NBA and first in the West with 99 clutch points (when the scoring margin is within five points inside the final five minutes of a game). Fox scored 24 points with five rebounds and five assists in Friday’s win.
The Kings enter Sunday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs holding the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. At 23-18, it’s the first time the team is five games above .500 since April 2006.
“Hopefully sooner than later, these guys will start getting the appropriate love from around the league that they deserve,” Brown said. “Starting with the media, because the media has a lot of influence. It has a lot of influence on the people that they’re writing to and speaking to. And hopefully Domas and Foxy will get their due respect because they’re doing it night in and night out.”
