Nuggets at Kings
The Denver Nuggets look to protect their slim lead in the Western Conference when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Denver is looking for its eighth win in the past 10 contests as it holds a half-game lead over the Golden State Warriors in the West.
The Nuggets posted a 115-108 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday and now enter a stretch in which three of their next four games are on the road. Standout center Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds against the Knicks for his third triple-double of the season and 19th of his career. Sacramento has blown fourth-quarter leads while losing its last two games, first against the Los Angeles Lakers and then in a 113-108 overtime setback against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. "We just have to execute at the end of the game," point guard De'Aaron Fox told reporters after Tuesday's setback. "We had makeable shots and we just didn't make them."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (24-11): Veteran power forward Paul Millsap had 16 points and nine rebounds against New York in his second contest since missing three weeks with a broken toe. “You can see, as the game went on, he was finding his rhythm,” Denver coach Michael Malone told reporters of Millsap. “He’s finding his comfort level, his confidence. He’ll make those free throws, moving forward. I was just happy to see his defense, his rebounding, his activity and just kind of getting that game under his belt in the altitude.” Backup shooting guard Malik Beasley scored a career-best 23 points while matching his career high of five 3-pointers versus the Knicks and is averaging 20.3 points over the past four games.
ABOUT THE KINGS (19-18): Sacramento trailed by 14 points at halftime before rallying to take a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and later collapsing against Portland in the opener of a stretch in which seven of eight games are at home. Shooting guard Buddy Hield made five 3-pointers while scoring 27 points against the Trail Blazers in his first game of January after averaging 21.6 points and 3.9 3-pointers in December. Hield scored 20 or more points in 12 of the past 15 games and has made five or more 3-pointers on eight occasions during the stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Eight players scored in double digits when the Nuggets posted a 126-112 home win over the Kings on Oct. 23.
2. Sacramento C Willie Cauley-Stein had just five points on 2-of-14 shooting in the loss to Portland.
3. Denver SG Gary Harris (hip) scored six points in 20 minutes against the Knicks after missing the previous 11 games.