Nuggets outlast Kings in a thriller as Sabonis battles Jokic in clash of All-NBA centers
Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Jokic have been two of the best centers in the NBA in recent years, but only one could prevail Monday night in Sacramento.
Jokic recorded a triple-double to help the Denver Nuggets outlast the Kings 130-129 in a back-and-forth thriller before a crowd of 16,936 at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings fought back from a 23-point first-half deficit to take a 10-point lead with 4:10 to play in the fourth quarter, but Murray hit a go-ahead jumper on an assist from Jokic with 8.6 seconds remaining. The Kings had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but DeMar DeRozan missed a fallaway baseline jumper as time expired.
Murray scored 28 points to lead the Nuggets (14-10). Jokic posted 20 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Aaron Gordon scored 24 points while Russell Westbrook flirted with a triple-double of his own, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.
De’Aaron Fox had 29 points and seven assists for the Kings (13-14), whose three-game winning streak came to an end.
Sabonis had 28 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Malik Monk had 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists with three blocked shots while DeRozan added 17 points.
Kings guard Kevin Huerter (shoulder) and forward Keegan Murray (ankle) were ruled out due to injuries. Doug McDermott started in place of Murray, scoring 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Kings coach Mike Brown bemoaned his team’s defense after they were outscored 76-58 on points in the paint.
“They scored 76 points in the paint,” Brown said. “This is where our team needs to grow sooner than later. We have to lock in. We have to lock into the details. We got back cut more times in this one game than probably we got back cut all year.
“... Until our guys understand that it’s about embracing the details for 48 minutes, we’re going to be a good team, but we’re not going to get where we need to go. The back cuts tonight, especially play after play after play after play, were inexcusable.”
Jokic and Sabonis put their marvelous gifts on display with strong showings from their supporting casts. The matchup did not disappoint.
“Obviously they do a lot of the same things, but they do them differently,” Fox said. “They’re both extremely big bodies, extremely talented guys, guys who get their teammates involved. I think they’re both better defensively than they get credit for, and every time we play them, it’s a battle. They’re both extremely physical and neither one of them shy away. Having Domas on your side, you always give yourself a great chance to win, and obviously having Jokic on their side gives them a great chance to win.”
Jokic had high praise for Sabonis after the game.
“He’s a really good player,” Jokic said. “I think he changed their culture. When they play, he’s getting everybody involved, so they’re playing really good team basketball and they’re shooting the ball. There’s a lot of DHO passes. I think that they have been playing the right way and Domas is a big factor in that.”
Sabonis is a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Third Team selection who led the league in rebounding the past two seasons. He went into the game averaging 21.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
Jokic is a six-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection and three-time MVP who led the Nuggets to an NBA title in 2023. He entered the contest averaging 31.5 points, 13.3 rebounds and 9.8 assists.
“Three-time MVP, world champion — you name it, he’s got it on his resume, and he’s a spectacular player, but we feel Sabonis is right there with him,” Brown said before the game. “Having said that, it’s not Jokic vs. Sabonis. It’s fun and entertaining to see those guys go head-to-head, but at the end of the day it’s about who’s team is going to perform at a higher level and help those two.
“Both of those two are great passers. They need guys to knock down shots and all those other things in order for them to have success, but it’s a nice storyline for you guys and the fans to see those two going head-to-head.”
The absences of Murray and Huerter only exasperated Sacramento’s lack of size, length and depth on the wing. There were signs of trouble right from the start.
Over the first four minutes of the game, the Kings were outscored 18-6 and outrebounded 10-1. The Nuggets went up 24-6 moments later and led 41-21 at the end of the first period.
Denver led by as many as 23 points early in the second quarter, but the Kings wouldn’t quit. They cut the deficit to 10 on a three-point play by DeRozan, got within seven on a transition layup by Monk and trailed 75-68 at the half after outscoring the Nuggets 47-34 in the second period.
Monk went 3 of 10 from the field and 1 of 5 from 3-point range in the first half, but he got hot in the second. Monk scored 12 points in a span of 2:24 to fuel a 17-5 run that gave the Kings an 85-80 lead with 7:10 to go in the third quarter. Monk put up a total of 15 points in the third, going 6 of 7 from the field and 3 of 3 from 3-point range.
“We started doing those little things and hitting those guys first,” Monk said. “We missed a lot of shots in the first half, obviously, then they start falling. Once we started hitting those guys, getting stops, we knew they didn’t want to get back on defense, but we didn’t get enough stops to get out in transition. I feel that would have won us the game, too, so, yeah, we just started hitting them first and being way more alert on the defensive end, and that’s why we got back in the game.”
The Kings led 103-96 at the end of the third period. They went up by eight on a 3-pointer by McDermott early in the fourth and led 119-109 following a floater from Fox with 4:10 to play, but the Nuggets responded with a 9-0 run to take a 123-122 lead on a basket by Jokic.
The teams traded leads seven times over the last 1:15. The Kings had a chance to win on the final possession, but a cutting DeRozan mishandled a pass from Sabonis — preventing a possible baseline dunk — and then missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.
Jokic was relieved to escape with the win.
“It was good,” Jokic said. “Up and down. I think that’s why basketball is a great game. We were up 20, then we were down 10, and then won basically with the last shot. That’s why basketball is amazing.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 10:59 PM.
