Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic posts 50-point double-double, but Kings win again to reach .500
Nikola Jokic might lead the Denver Nuggets to another deep playoff run and he might even win his first MVP award, but he can’t seem to beat the Kings.
Jokic turned in another monster performance with a 50-point double-double, but the Kings beat the Nuggets for the third time this season, winning 119-114 at Golden 1 Center on Saturday afternoon.
Harrison Barnes had a team-high 28 points and seven rebounds for the Kings (11-11), who have won six of their last seven games to get to .500.
“We’re in a good groove right now,” Barnes said.
Jokic had a career-high 50 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds for the Nuggets (12-10), extending his streak of consecutive double-doubles to start the season to 22 games. Jokic made 20 of 33 field-goal attempts and 3 of 6 from 3-point range.
Jokic had 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting in the fourth quarter. According to Basketball-Reference, Jokic became the first center to post at least 50 points and 10 assists in a game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Jan. 19, 1975.
“Jokic is one of the front runners for MVP this season,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “There’s not much you can do. If you double him, he throws it to an open cutter, and if you guard him one-on-one, he scores, so you’ve got to give him a lot of credit, but I think our guys really battled. They tried to make it tough on him, which is all you can do against superstars sometimes.”
De’Aaron Fox had 24 points and five assists for the Kings. Tyrese Haliburton came off the bench to post a career-high 23 points and six assists. Richaun Holmes recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Hassan Whiteside had 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, recording his first double-double for the Kings. Buddy Hield’s league-best streak of 87 consecutive games with a 3-pointer came to an end as he finished 0 of 9 from 3-point range, but he had seven assists with zero turnovers and made a number of unselfish plays to contribute to the win.
The Kings beat the Nuggets twice in the first week of the season, picking up two early wins over a team that reached the Western Conference finals last season. They did it again in a matinee affair Saturday despite the best efforts of Jokic.
Jokic, who had a 47-point game against the Utah Jazz last weekend, has established himself as an early MVP candidate along with LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant. The 284-pound Serbian center came into the contest averaging 26.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 8.4 assists. His streak of 22 consecutive double-doubles to start the season is the second-longest in league history, behind only Bill Walton (34) in 1976-77.
Sacramento led 26-25 at the end of the first quarter and carried a 53-52 lead into the halftime break. The Kings shot just 44.4% from the field, but they recorded 15 assists on 20 made baskets with only three turnovers while holding the Nuggets to 43.8% shooting.
The Nuggets went ahead on a couple of occasions early in the third quarter, but a series of baskets by Holmes and Barnes helped the Kings reclaim the lead. They went up 74-71 on a 3-pointer by Barnes, extended the lead to eight on a basket by Whiteside and went into the fourth quarter with an 87-81 advantage.
Sacramento went up by as many as 14 in the fourth. Jokic helped the Nuggets cut the deficit to six with 4:27 to play, but a big 3-pointer by Haliburton ended the run, putting the Kings up 105-96 with four minutes remaining. Hield could have taken a contested shot in search of his first 3-point basket, but he passed to Haliburton, who was open in the corner.
Jokic made a couple of long 3-pointers in the final minute to get his team within four, but the Kings knocked down their free throws to secure the win.
Injury bug bites Nuggets
Nuggets coach Michael Malone started Monte Morris and Will Barton III in the backcourt after starters Jamal Murray and Gary Harris were forced to sit out due to injuries.
Harris had already been ruled out with a left adductor strain that caused him to miss Thursday’s game against the Lakers. Murray was ruled out shortly before Saturday’s game due to left knee soreness.
Murray is averaging a career-high 19.0 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds for the Nuggets. Harris is averaging 10.1 points.
Hip check
Fox appeared to be favoring his right hip in the late stages of Wednesday’s 116-111 win over the Boston Celtics, but he was feeling better after a couple of days off.
When asked about his dynamic young point guard before Saturday’s game against the Nuggets, Walton said Fox was a limited participant in practice Thursday and Friday, giving him a chance to rest his aching hip.
“He told me he’s feeling good,” Walton said. “We did not have him do much the last two days on the court other than shooting and things like that – treatment, weight room. It looked like he was moving well this morning. We’ll see. I don’t think he’s taken it back up to 100% since that game, but he says he’s doing well.”
Up next
The Kings were flying down to Southern California after Saturday’s game against the Nuggets to face the Los Angeles Clippers at noon on Sunday at Staples Center. The Kings are 0-3 this season in the second game of a back-to-back.
The Clippers (17-7) have lost two of their last three after going 10-1 in the previous 11 games. They suffered a 124-120 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday and a 119-115 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday.
Kawhi Leonard has established himself as an early MVP candidate, averaging 26.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steals. He is shooting 50.8% from the field, 38.3% from 3-point range and a career-best 90.3% at the free-throw line. Paul George has been terrific, too, averaging 24.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He is shooting career highs of 50.8%, 47.8% from 3-point range and 90.5% at the stripe.
Injury report
Nuggets: OUT — Gary Harris (adductor); Jamal Murray (knee); Facundo Campazzo (knee); PJ Dozier (hamstring); Greg Whittington (knee).
Kings: OUT — DaQuan Jeffries (ankle); Jahmi’us Ramsey (G League); Robert Woodard II (G League).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 7 at Los Angeles Clippers, 12 p.m.
Feb. 9 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 12 vs. Orlando Magic, 7 p.m.
Feb. 14 vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 6 p.m.
Feb. 15 vs. Brooklyn Nets, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 6, 2021 at 4:55 PM.
