Kings at Nuggets
THE STORY: The Denver Nuggets may have the perfect recipe for success. They are deep and don’t mind playing fast, plus the thin air in the Mile High City could also make them extra tough at home during this condensed NBA season. The Nuggets are off to a 4-2 start – 3-0 at altitude – and host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Denver is coming off a 91-86 victory over Milwaukee on Monday, its third game in three days after it split a home-and-home with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday and Sunday. Sacramento will play the middle of a three-in-three stretch after its 113-96 loss at Memphis on Tuesday. The Kings host Milwaukee on Thursday. Disgruntled DeMarcus Cousins, who denied asking to be traded last week, did not start Tuesday after being told by coach Paul Westphal to stay home during Sunday’s 96-80 victory over New Orleans.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CS California (Sacramento), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE KINGS (2-4): Cousins had eight rebounds and four points in 22 minutes off the bench Tuesday and continues to live up to his reputation as someone who is hard to get along with. J.J. Hickson started his second straight game Tuesday in place of Cousins and contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Jimmer Fredette is averaging 10.2 points in 25 minutes. Nine of Sacramento’s first 10 games are against playoff teams from 2010-11. At an average age of 24 years, 347 days, the Kings are the youngest team in the NBA.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (4-2): Denver’s bench outscored Milwaukee’s 38-25 and must be a key factor all season if the Nuggets are to make a run at the Western Conference’s elite. The Nuggets are 4-1 when scoring 20 or more points on the break – they were 13-3 in such games last season. Ty Lawson (18.3 points per game) leads six players scoring in double figures. Power forward Nene missed Monday’s game with a bruised left foot and is listed as day-to-day. Nene led the NBA with a .615 field goal percentage last season.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Nuggets have the best home record in the NBA since the start of the 2007-08 season at 136-31 (.814). Denver has won five straight against Sacramento at home.
2. Sacramento’s four losses have all been by 10 or more points.