diff --git a/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage.go b/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage.go
index f97075208..6be6a6ba7 100644
--- a/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage.go
+++ b/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage.go
@@ -426,7 +426,12 @@ func (pts *packedTimeseries) Unpack(dst *Result, tbf *tmpBlocksFile, tr storage.
 
 	// Wait until work is complete
 	samples := 0
-	sbs := make([]*sortBlock, 0, brsLen)
+	sbh := getSortBlocksHeap()
+	sbs := sbh.sbs
+	if n := brsLen - cap(sbs); n > 0 {
+		sbs = append(sbs[:cap(sbs)], make([]*sortBlock, n)...)
+	}
+	sbs = sbs[:0]
 	var firstErr error
 	for _, upw := range upws {
 		if err := <-upw.doneCh; err != nil && firstErr == nil {
@@ -451,6 +456,7 @@ func (pts *packedTimeseries) Unpack(dst *Result, tbf *tmpBlocksFile, tr storage.
 		}
 		putUnpackWork(upw)
 	}
+	sbh.sbs = sbs
 
 	// Shut down local workers
 	for _, workCh := range workChs {
@@ -462,7 +468,8 @@ func (pts *packedTimeseries) Unpack(dst *Result, tbf *tmpBlocksFile, tr storage.
 		return firstErr
 	}
 	dedupInterval := storage.GetDedupInterval()
-	mergeSortBlocks(dst, sbs, dedupInterval)
+	mergeSortBlocks(dst, sbh, dedupInterval)
+	putSortBlocksHeap(sbh)
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -483,24 +490,25 @@ var sbPool sync.Pool
 
 var metricRowsSkipped = metrics.NewCounter(`vm_metric_rows_skipped_total{name="vmselect"}`)
 
-func mergeSortBlocks(dst *Result, sbh sortBlocksHeap, dedupInterval int64) {
+func mergeSortBlocks(dst *Result, sbh *sortBlocksHeap, dedupInterval int64) {
 	// Skip empty sort blocks, since they cannot be passed to heap.Init.
-	src := sbh
-	sbh = sbh[:0]
-	for _, sb := range src {
+	sbs := sbh.sbs[:0]
+	for _, sb := range sbh.sbs {
 		if len(sb.Timestamps) == 0 {
 			putSortBlock(sb)
 			continue
 		}
-		sbh = append(sbh, sb)
+		sbs = append(sbs, sb)
 	}
-	if len(sbh) == 0 {
+	sbh.sbs = sbs
+	if sbh.Len() == 0 {
 		return
 	}
-	heap.Init(&sbh)
+	heap.Init(sbh)
 	for {
-		top := sbh[0]
-		if len(sbh) == 1 {
+		sbs := sbh.sbs
+		top := sbs[0]
+		if len(sbs) == 1 {
 			dst.Timestamps = append(dst.Timestamps, top.Timestamps[top.NextIdx:]...)
 			dst.Values = append(dst.Values, top.Values[top.NextIdx:]...)
 			putSortBlock(top)
@@ -519,9 +527,9 @@ func mergeSortBlocks(dst *Result, sbh sortBlocksHeap, dedupInterval int64) {
 			dst.Values = append(dst.Values, top.Values[topNextIdx:top.NextIdx]...)
 		}
 		if top.NextIdx < len(top.Timestamps) {
-			heap.Fix(&sbh, 0)
+			heap.Fix(sbh, 0)
 		} else {
-			heap.Pop(&sbh)
+			heap.Pop(sbh)
 			putSortBlock(top)
 		}
 	}
@@ -604,48 +612,73 @@ func (sb *sortBlock) unpackFrom(tmpBlock *storage.Block, tbf *tmpBlocksFile, br
 	return nil
 }
 
-type sortBlocksHeap []*sortBlock
+type sortBlocksHeap struct {
+	sbs []*sortBlock
+}
 
-func (sbh sortBlocksHeap) getNextBlock() *sortBlock {
-	if len(sbh) < 2 {
+func (sbh *sortBlocksHeap) getNextBlock() *sortBlock {
+	sbs := sbh.sbs
+	if len(sbs) < 2 {
 		return nil
 	}
-	if len(sbh) < 3 {
-		return sbh[1]
+	if len(sbs) < 3 {
+		return sbs[1]
 	}
-	a := sbh[1]
-	b := sbh[2]
+	a := sbs[1]
+	b := sbs[2]
 	if a.Timestamps[a.NextIdx] <= b.Timestamps[b.NextIdx] {
 		return a
 	}
 	return b
 }
 
-func (sbh sortBlocksHeap) Len() int {
-	return len(sbh)
+func (sbh *sortBlocksHeap) Len() int {
+	return len(sbh.sbs)
 }
 
-func (sbh sortBlocksHeap) Less(i, j int) bool {
-	a := sbh[i]
-	b := sbh[j]
+func (sbh *sortBlocksHeap) Less(i, j int) bool {
+	sbs := sbh.sbs
+	a := sbs[i]
+	b := sbs[j]
 	return a.Timestamps[a.NextIdx] < b.Timestamps[b.NextIdx]
 }
 
-func (sbh sortBlocksHeap) Swap(i, j int) {
-	sbh[i], sbh[j] = sbh[j], sbh[i]
+func (sbh *sortBlocksHeap) Swap(i, j int) {
+	sbs := sbh.sbs
+	sbs[i], sbs[j] = sbs[j], sbs[i]
 }
 
 func (sbh *sortBlocksHeap) Push(x interface{}) {
-	*sbh = append(*sbh, x.(*sortBlock))
+	sbh.sbs = append(sbh.sbs, x.(*sortBlock))
 }
 
 func (sbh *sortBlocksHeap) Pop() interface{} {
-	a := *sbh
-	v := a[len(a)-1]
-	*sbh = a[:len(a)-1]
+	sbs := sbh.sbs
+	v := sbs[len(sbs)-1]
+	sbs[len(sbs)-1] = nil
+	sbh.sbs = sbs[:len(sbs)-1]
 	return v
 }
 
+func getSortBlocksHeap() *sortBlocksHeap {
+	v := sbhPool.Get()
+	if v == nil {
+		return &sortBlocksHeap{}
+	}
+	return v.(*sortBlocksHeap)
+}
+
+func putSortBlocksHeap(sbh *sortBlocksHeap) {
+	sbs := sbh.sbs
+	for i := range sbs {
+		sbs[i] = nil
+	}
+	sbh.sbs = sbs[:0]
+	sbhPool.Put(sbh)
+}
+
+var sbhPool sync.Pool
+
 // DeleteSeries deletes time series matching the given tagFilterss.
 func DeleteSeries(qt *querytracer.Tracer, sq *storage.SearchQuery, deadline searchutils.Deadline) (int, error) {
 	qt = qt.NewChild("delete series: %s", sq)
diff --git a/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage_test.go b/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage_test.go
index a6ea47892..1f1d5f22b 100644
--- a/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage_test.go
+++ b/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage_test.go
@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@ func TestMergeSortBlocks(t *testing.T) {
 	f := func(blocks []*sortBlock, dedupInterval int64, expectedResult *Result) {
 		t.Helper()
 		var result Result
-		mergeSortBlocks(&result, blocks, dedupInterval)
+		sbh := getSortBlocksHeap()
+		sbh.sbs = append(sbh.sbs[:0], blocks...)
+		mergeSortBlocks(&result, sbh, dedupInterval)
+		putSortBlocksHeap(sbh)
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(result.Values, expectedResult.Values) {
 			t.Fatalf("unexpected values;\ngot\n%v\nwant\n%v", result.Values, expectedResult.Values)
 		}
diff --git a/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage_timing_test.go b/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage_timing_test.go
index 8345e5bf4..2410b9666 100644
--- a/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage_timing_test.go
+++ b/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage_timing_test.go
@@ -90,16 +90,18 @@ func benchmarkMergeSortBlocks(b *testing.B, blocks []*sortBlock) {
 	b.ReportAllocs()
 	b.RunParallel(func(pb *testing.PB) {
 		var result Result
-		sbs := make(sortBlocksHeap, len(blocks))
+		sbh := getSortBlocksHeap()
 		for pb.Next() {
 			result.reset()
-			for i, b := range blocks {
+			sbs := sbh.sbs[:0]
+			for _, b := range blocks {
 				sb := getSortBlock()
 				sb.Timestamps = b.Timestamps
 				sb.Values = b.Values
-				sbs[i] = sb
+				sbs = append(sbs, sb)
 			}
-			mergeSortBlocks(&result, sbs, dedupInterval)
+			sbh.sbs = sbs
+			mergeSortBlocks(&result, sbh, dedupInterval)
 		}
 	})
 }