NBA League Pass Game of the Day: Kings at Heat (8:15 ET)

Domantas Sabonis grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds against the Raptors on Saturday.

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1. Sacramento wants to get back on the road: The Kings traveled to Toronto on Saturday, where former Raptors star Vince Carter was honored as the first player in franchise history to have his No. 15 jersey retired. The Kings entered the match on a three-game winning streak after losing their first two games of the season, but fell in overtime to the undermanned Raptors. A trip to South Beach offers the opportunity to get back on track.

2. DeMar DeRozan gets buckets: Entering his 16th season in the NBA, DeRozan has delivered on everything the Kings expected of him when they acquired him in a sign-and-trade deal over the summer. In six games during the 2024-25 season, he averaged 25.3 points on 52.5% field shooting and scored at least 20 points in each game. Upon his return to Toronto over the weekend, DeRozan dropped 33 points in a loss to his former team. The Kings will continue to build chemistry between their new big three – DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.

3. Bam Adebayo’s breakout: The Miami Heat enter Monday’s contest at 3-2 after dropping 20 points to the Washington Wizards in the NBA’s Mexico City game on Saturday night. Adebayo played a big role in securing the Heat’s victory, scoring 32 points (3 of 5 from 3-point range) and grabbing 14 rebounds in the breakout performance. In his first four games, Adebayo scored a combined 44 points and shot 0 of 8 from three-point range.

4. Jimmy Butler wants to get going: Butler was one of the greatest Heat players in recent years and he’s working on getting back to that form. After a difficult start to the season, he averaged 20.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in his final four games. Even as Adebayo continues to improve, Butler is a key to this team’s success and that will be a key focus in Monday’s game.

5. The Height of Domantas Sabonis: Sabonis has led the NBA in rebounding the last two seasons, yet it still feels like he doesn’t get enough attention. Although the Lithuanian star averaged 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game last season, he was not selected for an All-Star bid in the 2023-24 season. In six games during the 2024-25 season, Sabonis averaged 21.5 points, 13 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting 62.2% from the field. One of the incredibly talented bigs in today’s NBA, Sabonis wants to bring the Kings back to the playoffs.

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