Kings 123, Nuggets 117: The Beauty of Back to Backs

The Kings got two nights off to recover from the midweek emotional rollercoaster of defeating the Warriors and then losing to the Clippers. Tonight, they hosted the reigning NBA champions for their third home game in a row. Keegan Murray made his return after missing four games while recovering from a back injury. While the Kings had fresh legs and a healthy addition coming into tonight’s game, the Denver Nuggets were on the second night of a back to back after playing in Phoenix last night and were still without their starting point guard, Jamal Murray. For the Kings, the odds in defeating the NBA champs were likely as good as they’re ever going to get in this league. Let’s see how they did:

Quick Stats

Outcome: Kings win, 123-117

Sacramento Kings: 123pts, 48.5% fg, 47.1% 3 pt, 73.3% ft, 33 ast, 47 reb, 11 to

Denver Nuggets: 117 pts, 49.5% fg, 24.0% 3 pt, 65.0% ft, 35 ast, 46 reb, 11 to

Maybe back to backs are scheduled into this league for a reason. The Kings took full advantage of their rest and Denver’s lack of by being the more energized team and leading for a majority of the night. They gained their largest lead of 17 points in the third quarter. The Nuggets, not willing to let anyone forget that they are the champions, were able to make things interesting in the fourth quarter as they made a push and cut Sacramento’s lead down to just 2 points with three minutes remaining. Fortunately, the Kings were able to dip into their reserve tank to quickly widen the gap again with huge shots from Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter to eventually ice the victory.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Good:

1. Beam Team Basketball: We got the best version of Beam Team basketball tonight. This was particularly showcased during the second quarter where the Kings outscored the Nuggets 39-20 and extended their lead to 14 points to end the half. Unlike in recent games, the Kings came out shooting well from the start. They ended the first two quarters shooting 5-9 and 4-8 from the 3-point line. During the first quarter, this kept them out of a hole as Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 36 points, and they ended the quarter only trailing by 5 points. In the second quarter, this hot shooting earned them a sizable lead that they were able to maintain for most of the third quarter. Sacramento’s offense this season has been able to maintain effective movement and shot creation, but has yet to reap the benefits of seeing the 3-point shots fall consistently. Tonight was…