A Broken Thumb Couldn?t Stop 7 ft 1 NBA Star from Burning Down Nuggets and Nikola Jokic

On 27th December, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets bagged their 5th straight win. The victory came against the Sacramento Kings who were playing without their star Domantas Sabonis. With Sabonis on the court, the Kings have an offensive rating of 118.9, but their rating drops precipitously when he is on the bench. The Kings looked crippled on the hardwood on Wednesday, clearly missing their offensive leader. The two teams played back-to-back games against each other and on 28th December, the story had taken a 180-degree turn.

Domantas Sabonis had injured his thumb badly recently. The medical staff determined that to fix the broken thumb he required surgery. But this meant that the power forward would have to miss 20-odd games for the Kings. Missing weeks indicated impending doom for the Kings. But Sabonis had a different plan in mind.

Domantas Sabonis stunned Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets

On 28th December, the Sacramento Kings declared the availability of Sabonis for their second game against the Denver Nuggets. The injury was to Sabonis’s non-shooting hand, which meant that he could still play through the pain. He walked onto the court with his thumb wrapped up and in the game, made 31 points, five assists, and 10 rebounds. The Kings clinched the big win and revenge had been taken.

When the medical staff informed Sabonis about the surgery, he made it clear that it could wait. He wanted to play. To the media, he said, “Everyone has put a lot of work in. Missing a large number of games just didn?t seem right.”

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Throughout the game, Sabonis used his chest to block and defend. However, he did put his injured hand to use while grabbing and passing the ball. This worked as he was locked in and seemed unfazed by the pain.

Fighting through the pain

Sabonis fought through discomfort by simply not thinking about it. The Kings star said, “People kept asking me (about the thumb). I?m like, ?Stop asking me.?? His focus was completely on doing the job for his team.

Sabonis’ teammate De’Aaron Fox spoke to the media and commented on his performance. While referring to the broken thumb, he said, “He still rebounds knowing that hand is going to get caught in there, get hit, get banged. He went out there and it shows his toughness.”

The Sacramento Kings are currently seventh on the Western Conference table, with a record of 18-15. While this is a comfortable position to be in, as history has shown, all it takes is one terrible week for the fortunes to turn. To win, they need Sabonis and with his mental toughness, the Kings’ future seems to be in good hands.

Watch this story: While Being a 7ft Menace on Court For Opponents, Nikola Jokic Has a Lovable Family with Wife Natalija Macesic and Toddler Daughter

What do you think about Domantas Sabonis’ decision to play? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.