Buzzer Beater: News, notes, analysis from Kings’ 101-94 loss to the Denver Nuggets
The Kings suffered their fourth consecutive loss to start the season and remained winless under coach Luke Walton, but there were clear signs of progress in a 101-94 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.
Backup big man Richaun Holmes came off the bench to post 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings (0-4), providing the spark Sacramento needed after being blown out in the first three games. He made 10 of 13 shots, including a poster dunk over Mason Plumlee. De’Aaron Fox had 20 points and nine assists. Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic combined to make just 4 of 25 field-goal attempts.
The Nuggets (3-0) were led by Jamal Murray, who scored 18 points, and Gary Harris, who had 17. The Kings held the Nuggets to 36.7 percent shooting from the field and 10-of-36 shooting from 3-point range.
The Kings led by six at the half before falling behind in another bad third quarter. They trailed by three following a putback basket by Harrison Barnes with 25.3 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t get any closer.
The Kings turned in a much better effort against one of the top teams in the Western Conference after losing to the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz by an average of 23.7 points. The Kings were faster and more physical. They blocked eight shots, competed on the boards, took better care of the ball and discovered an offensive rhythm that was missing in their first three games.
“I think we communicated a lot better,” Holmes said. “We had each other’s backs, especially on the defensive end, and we were just a few shots away. We missed some shots and missed some good looks, but if we play like that we’ll put ourselves in position to win a lot of games.”
Buddy Buckets struggles with shot
Hield scored 49 points in the first two games against Phoenix and Portland, but he struggled with his shot over the past two games after signing a four-year, $86 million contract extension with the team last week.
Hield was 1 of 7 from the field in Saturday’s loss to Utah. He missed all seven shots he attempted through the first three quarters against the Nuggets, airballed his first attempt in the fourth and then missed an open look from the corner. He finally sank a baseline jumper for his first basket with 7:36 remaining.
Hield finished with five points on 2-of-13 shooting with four rebounds and four assists, but Walton praised his defensive effort.
“He’ll start making shots,” Walton said. “... I hope he doesn’t take away from this game that playing that hard on defense is part of the reason he didn’t make shots. He was making winning plays for us out there on defense tonight.”
No Joke: Kings contain Jokic
Before the game, Walton was asked about the unusual challenges presented by Nikola Jokic, a 7-foot center with elite passing skills. “The Joker” went into the game averaging 21.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the Nuggets. He averaged 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 80 games last season, emerging as an MVP candidate four years after Denver selected him with the 41st pick in the 2014 draft.
“He’s the best playmaking big in our league,” Walton said. “He’s looking to set up teammates before he’s even looking to score for himself. … And then if you sag off him, he’s capable of knocking down 3s as well. He represents a unique challenge in our game and I would hope we’re up for that challenge.”
Walton was very pleased with the way his team defended Jokic, who grabbed 13 rebounds but recorded only two assists while being held to nine points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Third-quarter struggles
Sacramento’s third-quarter struggles continued against Denver. The Nuggets outscored the Kings 30-17 in that frame after trailing at the half, the fourth time in four games Sacramento has been outscored by double digits in the third period.
Giles one step closer to return
Kings center Harry Giles III is still out due to left knee soreness, but he was upgraded from doubtful to questionable going into Monday’s game and participated in a five-on-five full-court scrimmage following the morning shootaround.
“He’s getting a lot closer,” Walton said. “We’re not going to play him (against Denver), but we’ll see how he feels tonight and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow and he’ll come in again the next day. As long as he keeps feeling good, we’ll keep ramping him up. He’s getting much closer to being in game shape.”
Injury report
Kings: OUT – Marvin Bagley III (thumb). QUESTIONABLE – Harry Giles III (knee).
Nuggets: OUT – Bol Bol (foot).
Sacramento Kings upcoming schedule
Oct. 30 vs. Charlotte Hornets
Nov. 1 vs. Utah Jazz
Nov. 3 at New York Knicks
Nov. 6 at Toronto Raptors
Nov. 8 at Atlanta Hawks
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 9:31 PM.
