Domantas Sabonis wanted to make one thing clear before the Kings’ NBA Cup matchup against the Blazers: the knee is not the issue.
After Sacramento listed its center as questionable with a left knee injury ahead of the game against Orlando, Sabonis was ultimately cleared to play in the 107-100 loss. He logged 24 minutes, but the box score was rough - no points, two rebounds and five assists - and the Kings dropped to 1-10 on the regular season.
Still, Sabonis pushed back on any idea that he’s less than full strength, telling NBC Sacramento’s Sean Cunningham, “I felt great. I’m 100 percent - I feel amazing,” Sabonis said. “Last game was just a different game, and just gotta be better in all aspects.”
He has missed only one game this season, but the combination of the questionable tag and the quiet night against Orlando naturally sparked concern. Sabonis didn’t dismiss that reaction, but he kept his focus on what Sacramento can clean up after losing 10 of its first 11.
“I felt like there were a lot of good things, you know? Some things that could have been better,” Sabonis said. “That’s just how the game of basketball goes sometimes, and there’s nothing I can do but watch film, practice, work on my game, and get better.”
Domantas Sabonis talks about the Kings dropping 10 of their first 11 games of the season, frustrations from the last game, how he evaluated his performance against the Orlando Magic, seeing Darius Acuff Jr. bothered by another loss & adding Mason Plumlee to the roster. pic.twitter.com/IOKAZPTmvw
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) November 12, 2026
The veteran big man also made it clear how much the skid has weighed on the group.
“It sucks. None of us want to be here in terms of losing 1-10,” Sabonis added.
“Seeing this team lose sucks. It hurts me.
You want to bring it back and play good basketball, and I feel like we are. Just gotta put 48 minutes together.
We’re here. We’re working, putting in the effort.”
Sabonis and the Kings will host the Blazers on Friday.
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