THE STORY: The Denver Nuggets look to move closer to clinching a playoff spot when they host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Denver is in fifth place in the Western Conference and leads ninth-place Houston by 5 1/2 games with nine games left. The Nuggets are 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Portland and currently in line to face Oklahoma City in the first round. Wednesday's game is the first of a home-and-home series with the teams meeting again Friday in Sacramento. The Kings have played well of late, winning a season-best four straight games and five of their last six.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSCA, ALT
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (44-29): Denver is well-rested, having not played since beating Washington, 114-94, on Friday. The win dusplayed how deep the Nuggets are since trading Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. Guard Arron Afflalo (hamstring) and forward Wilson Chandler (ankle) both missed the game with injuries and weren’t missed at all. Forward Al Harrington scored 17 points off the bench and is averaging 19.7 points over the past three games. The Nuggets also received a double-double from "Birdman" Chris Andersen, who sank all seven of his shots and had 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. The victory was the third in a row for Denver, which improved to 8-0 at home since the Anthony trade.
ABOUT THE KINGS (21-52): Sacramento continued its recent solid play with Tuesday's 116-113 home victory over Phoenix. Marcus Thornton had 24 points and 11 rebounds and had plenty of help from Beno Udrih (19 points), Donte Green (18 points, four 3-pointers), DeMarcus Cousins (17 points, seven rebounds, eight assists), Jason Thompson (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Tyreke Evans (11 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists). Thornton has been instrumental in Sacramento’s recent success and has averaged 22.7 points in March. Acquired from New Orleans in late February, Thornton has topped 20 points in 12 of the last 16 games.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Udrih is averaging 16.8 points and 5.5 assists over the past four games. ... Nuggets guard J.R. Smith is averaging 18 points over the last four contests. ... Sacramento center Samuel Dalembert has made just 4 of 13 shots over the last two games. Denver guard Gary Forbes drew the start against Washington with Afflalo sidelined but had just five points on 1-of-7 shooting.
KEY STATISTIC: Sacramento is averaging 109.3 points over the last six games, well above its season average of 99.1. Denver has held four of its last six opponents to 94 or fewer points.
SEASON SERIES: The teams have split two contests, with both winning at home. Denver posted a 104-86 victory on Jan. 1 and Sacramento rolled to a 122-102 win on Jan. 6.
KEY INJURIES: SACRAMENTO: C Hassan Whiteside (knee); G Marquis Daniels (neck). DENVER: F Wilson Chandler (ankle); G Arron Afflalo (hamstring).
LAST WORD: The proposed move of the Kings to Anaheim became more of a serious reality when the Southern California city approved the issuance of $75 million in bonds during a City Council meeting Tuesday night. The breakdown is $25 million for upgrades to the Honda Center and $50 million in working capital, funds that apparently would help pay for a relocation. The Maloof brothers, who own the Kings, have until April 18 to seek permission from the NBA to move the franchise.