Weekly Zags in the Pros Update

Domantas Sabonis has been named an NBA All-Star for the third time, representing the Kings in the Western Conference backcourt. The honor is well deserved for Domas, who ranks second in the NBA with 12.4 rebounds per game, along with 18.6 points per game and a career-high seven assists per game. He displayed his all-star capabilities last Wednesday, scoring a season-high 34 points in a win over the Spurs.

Andrew Nembhard will be joining Sabonis in Salt Lake City, as the rookie was selected to take part in the Rising Stars game. He’s averaging 8.4 points per game and his 4.1 assists per game are currently second among NBA rookies. He’s boosted that total of late, dishing five or more assists in each of his last three games.

Competitors for the Three-Point Contest have yet to be announced, but it would not be a shocker to see Corey Kispert join his Zag pals in SLC. Corey shot 3-5 from deep on Saturday against Brooklyn, the 26th game in a row he’s made at least one triple. He’s shooting 61.9% from three over his last four, and his 42.9% mark on the season is eighth-best in the NBA.

Brandon Clarke is averaging just eight points, five boards, and 1.7 assists in three February games, but is coming off a strong January that saw him shoot over 70% from the field and average 12 points per game. His 66.1 field goal percentage is currently fourth-best in the league.

Zach Collins posted his third double-double of the year last Monday, putting up 16 points and 11 rebounds against Washington. He followed that with 14 points against the Kings, and shot 13-19 (68.4%) from the field in those games.

Rui Hachimura had his highest scoring game as a Laker last Tuesday, scoring 19 with nine rebounds in a win over the Knicks. It was a good stretch for Rui in the Big Apple, as he had 16 and four rebounds the game prior in Brooklyn.

Jalen Suggs had a pair of solid all-around games last week for Orlando. He finished with 11 points, three assists, and five steals in a defeat of the Sixers on Wednesday, and followed that with ten, three assists, and three steals in a win over the Timberwolves on Friday.

Kelly Olynyk posted his second double-digit rebounding game of the year last Friday against Atlanta, grabbing ten boards to go with six points and four assists.

David Stockton recorded his fifth double-double of the G-League season on Saturday, going for 11 points and 12 assists in a win for Fort Wayne. He’s currently second in the league with 9.5 assists per game.

Joel Ayayi had a signature stat-stuffing performance on Sunday for Lakeland. He finished with 13 points (6-9 FG), six rebounds, eight assists, and five steals in the Magic’s only game of the week.

Filip Petrusev posted his third double-double in EuroLeague play on Sunday in a win for Crvena Zvezda. He finished with 12 points and ten rebounds, shooting a season-high 3-4 from three in the game. He’s averaging just over ten points and five rebounds for the season.

Johnathan Williams III continued his hot streak with back-to-back double-doubles for Nagoya. He had 15 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday and 16 and 17 on Sunday, good for his fourth and fifth double-doubles in his last six games. He is currently the team leader with 8.4 rebounds per game. Jeremy Jones also had a solid weekend for Nagoya, totaling 15 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists.

Speaking of hot streaks, Micah Downs had another outstanding game in Portugal, putting up 35 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and three steals on Sunday. It was the fifth double-double and third 30-point effort in just 11 games this season for Downs, who is averaging 24 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

Jordan Mathews tied a season-high with 21 points on 5-9 shooting from three in a win on Sunday for Spojnia. It was his third 20-point game this season and he’s shooting 37% from three on the year.

Josh Perkins finished with 16 points, eight assists, and a pair of steals on Wednesday for Stal, his third game in a row with multiple steals. His eight assists bumped his average to 5.8 per game since joining the team.

Emma Stach posted her second 20-point outing in four games in Greece over the weekend, scoring 20 with six rebounds and three assists in a win. She’s averaging 17.8 points per game in four games.

Jill Townsend contributed to a win on Saturday with an all-around effort of 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals for Champagne. She’s averaging 11.4 points in five games.