The Denver Nuggets just pulled off a massive win over the Sacramento Kings, erasing a fourth-quarter deficit to win 130-129. The Nuggets had a massive lead after a bombshell first quarter but fell behind in the second half. However, they showed their grit and their fight by overcoming a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win the game in exciting fashion.
Jamal Murray was the star of the show tonight for the Nuggets, putting up 28 points (11-26 FG), six assists, two rebounds, and one steal. Nikola Jokic had a poor night, but made up for it in the fourth quarter, with 20 points (8-19 FG), 14 rebounds, 13 assists, three steals, and one block. Russell Westbrook got a rare start tonight, and made good use of it, with 18 points (8-13 FG), 10 assists, nine rebounds, and three steals.
The Kings were no slouches tonight either. De’Aaron Fox had yet another great game, with 29 points (11-24 FG), seven assists, five rebounds, and one block. Domantas Sabonis played well, putting up 28 points (12-20 FG), 14 rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Malik Monk had 25 points (9-19 FG), nine assists, six rebounds, three steals and one block.
It was a back-and-forth game, with the Nuggets taking an early lead. But the Kings stayed in the game to turn things around and take the lead in the fourth quarter. In the end, the Nuggets showed their championship mettle to erase the Kings’ lead late in the game with some big shots.
With that in mind, here are three takeaways from the Nuggets’ win over the Kings.
Nikola Jokic Redeems Himself In Fourth Quarter
Prior to the final few minutes of the game, Nikola Jokic was not having a good game. While he did have a triple-double, he had shot poorly, with just 16 points on 6-16 shooting, and going 0-5 from deep with five costly turnovers. It was in the final few moments of the game that Jokic made some big shots, including a dagger three that turned out to be the game-winner.
While Jokic having a poor night for most of the game is far from ideal, he showed his MVP caliber tonight by stepping up and sinking some big shots when the stakes were high. His ability to get things going for the rest of the team when they were down is what makes him invaluable to the Nuggets.
Jokic, for all of the Nuggets’ troubles, is still having a great season, averaging 30.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 55.8% from the field, 48.9% from deep, and 79.7% from the free-throw line.
DeRozan Fumbles In Final Seconds
While the Nuggets walked away with the win tonight, the story could have been very different had DeMar DeRozan not fumbled the ball in the final seconds of the game. With eight seconds remaining, head coach, Mike Brown drew up a brilliant play that involved De’Aaron Fox getting the ball to Domantas Sabonis, who would drive to the basket only to pass the ball to DeMar DeRozan, who was cutting to the basket.
However, DeRozan would fumble the ball upon getting it right underneath the basket. While DeRozan was able to regain control, he didn’t get off a great shot, having to take a turnaround jumper a few feet away, which bounced on the back-iron before falling to the Nuggets players, who were able to get rid of it to seal the win.
DeRozan had a tough game tonight, putting up 17 points (7-18 FG), four assists, and three rebounds. But this final moment will haunt him more than any other missed shot or bad play during the game.
Kings First Quarter Costs Them
While the game ended with just a one-point difference, the Kings had set themselves up for a loss quite early. The Nuggets ended the first quarter with a 20-point lead, with the score at 41-21. They led by as much as 23 points during the game, which gave them the advantage to go on and win the game.
While the Kings were able to overcome this deficit and take the lead in the third quarter, they weren’t able to go on a run that established a strong lead over the Nuggets. One has to wonder; had they started the first quarter stronger, would the Kings have been the winners tonight?
Alas, the Kings must live with this loss, and make sure that they avoid such a poor start to the game in the future. Doing so only creates more hard work for themselves for the larger portions of the game. For now, this is a loss that could have been avoided, but the Kings should focus on the future.
The Nuggets can walk away from this game also looking to the future, but also being proud of their effort tonight. Their late-game rally spared them some blushes, but they need to ensure that they can keep this winning momentum going to turn their topsy-turvy start to the season around. Now with a 14-10 record, the Nuggets are fifth in the Western Conference, and look to climb the ranks even further.
The Nuggets will take on the Portland Trail Blazers away from home on Thursday night at 10 PM EST. With the Trail Blazers being one of the weakest teams in the NBA, the Nuggets should be focused on vanquishing them and continuing their winning form into the next week.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
