Kings center, former Gonzaga star Domantas Sabonis breaks Kevin Love’s double-double record in win over 76ers

Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis went down after getting his jaw rocked by an elbow to the face in the early stages of Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, but that didn’t stop his relentless pursuit of history.

Sabonis recorded his 54th consecutive double-double in a 108-96 victory over the 76ers before a sellout crowd of 17,832 at Golden 1 Center, breaking Kevin Love’s 2010-11 record for the longest single-season streak since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.

The former Gonzaga standout finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the first game of a five-game homestand for the Kings (41-29), who are now tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. NBA commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance to see Sabonis break the record.

Sabonis leads the NBA in double-doubles (67) and triple-doubles (25). He became the fifth player in NBA history with 25 or more triple-doubles in a season, joining Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic.

Sabonis broke Love’s record when he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback with 5:24 remaining in the third quarter. Philadelphia called timeout moments later as Sacramento’s lead swelled to 18 points. During the stoppage in play, the Kings honored Sabonis with a video presentation while fans rose to their feet to honor him with a standing ovation.

Only four players in NBA history have produced longer single-season double-double streaks, all before the merger: Wilt Chamberlain (7x), Elvin Hayes (2x), Elgin Baylor and Walt Bellamy. The last was Hayes, who had a 55-game streak in 1973-74.

Kings coach Mike Brown marveled at the consistency and durability Sabonis has demonstrated during his four-month march into the record books.

“I feel like I have a lot of experience being in this game, and I’ve seen some things at the highest level and some of the greatest of the all-time greats,” Brown said. “Tim Duncan, I’ve been fortunate, blessed, lucky, however you want to call it, to be around him for three straight years, and you’re talking about a record even a guy of that magnitude doesn’t have.

“It’s hard to put into words mainly because he makes it look so easy, but his work ethic and his determination is second to none. He fights his ass off for every single rebound. He’s getting hit in the head and pushed and all that other stuff, and it’s just like the Energizer bunny rabbit. He just keeps coming and coming and coming.”