Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, left, goes up for a shot past Denver Nuggets' Jamal Murray during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday in Philadelphia. (AP
The Kings rallied to defeat the Nuggets 102-98 on the road in Denver.
The Sacramento Kings defeated the Denver Nuggets at home with one of their best second-half games of the season, despite having lost four of their previous five games.
After trailing by as much as 13 points in the third quarter, the Kings turned up the heat and seized control of the game. For the most part of the game, Sacramento played poorly, but when it mattered most in the second half, they improved.
With only a minute left in the game, the Kings’ standout point guard and current NBA Clutch Player of the Year, De’Aaron Fox, dominated by going on an 8-0 run by himself to cement the victory. With just one turnover to go along with his eight assists, Fox cleaned things up after a dismal six turnovers in Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Fox scored 30 points in the victory in Denver, capping a 40-point outburst in Phoenix. As the season draws to a close, Fox, the star point guard, has improved his play after many noticed he had gone through a slump and his stats had fallen.
Sacramento defeated Denver 61-45 in the second half despite shooting just 43.8% from the floor and 27.3% from beyond the arc.
Although Domantas Sabonis of the Kings broke his three-game triple-double streak, he still outperformed Nikola Jokic, the greatest player in the league. Although Sabonis did not have the same overwhelming performance as he usually has, he was still quite successful overall with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.
Despite having six points, Sixth Man of the Year contender Malik Monk shot just 2-11 from the field, raising questions about Sacramento’s bench. The Kings essentially have no bench if Monk is absent, but they overcame that shortcoming on Wednesday to win.
Although Sacramento’s effort in the Denver victory was far from its best of the season, it was one of the team’s most significant victories before the All-Star break.
Even though the Kings have a 3-0 record versus the Nuggets this season, their inconsistent play against weaker opponents is a problem. From now on, every victory counts as Sacramento gets closer to the bottom of the postseason picture. Entering Denver and securing the arduously earned victory was an excellent start to the extended weekend.
