Kings stage huge comeback, but winning streak ends with heart-stopping loss to Nuggets
The Kings stormed back from a 23-point deficit to take a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, but their three-game winning streak ended with a heart-stopping 130-129 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The Kings had a chance to win on the final possession, but DeMar DeRozan mishandled a pass from Domantas Sabonis and then missed a desperation shot as time expired.
Jamal Murray scored 28 points to lead the Nuggets (14-10). De’Aaron Fox had 29 points, five rebounds and seven assists for the Kings (13-14).
The Kings will play again Thursday when they entertain the Los Angeles Lakers.
Stat leaders
Aaron Gordon scored 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting for the Nuggets. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists.
Sabonis had 28 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the Kings. Malik Monk had 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists.
Injury report
The Kings received some unfortunate news when Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter were ruled out for Monday’s game.
Murray was sidelined due to left ankle soreness. He is averaging 12.4 points and 7.7 rebounds as the team’s starting power forward. Doug McDermott started with Murray out of the lineup, scoring 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four 3-pointers.
Huerter suffered an AC joint sprain in his surgically repaired left shoulder during Thursday’s 111-109 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Huerter, who has played well since moving into a backup role, is averaging 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals.
Halftime report
Denver outscored Sacramento 24-6 over the first six minutes and led 41-21 at the end of the first period.
The Nuggets led by as many as 23 points in the second quarter, but the Kings wouldn’t quit. They came back to 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 halftime break.
The Nuggets shot 59.6% in the first half. The Kings shot 51% and made just 4 of 17 (.235) from 3-point range, but they went 14 of 14 at the free-throw line.
Second-half momentum
The Kings carried that momentum into the second half, staging a 17-5 run to take an 85-80 lead in the third quarter. Monk scored 15 points in the third period, going 6 of 7 from the field and 3 of 3 from 3-point range.
The Kings led 103-96 at the start of the fourth quarter. They went up 129-119on a basket by Fox with 4:10 remaining, but the Nuggets responded with a 14-3 run to take a 123-122 lead on a basket by Jokic with 1:15 remaining.
Closing time
The Kings and Nuggets traded leads seven times in the final 1:15.
The Kings were down by one following a basket by Murray with 8.6 seconds remaining. They had a chance to win in the end, but a cutting DeRozan bobbled a pass from Sabonis, preventing a possible baseline dunk.
Up next
The Kings will play host to the Lakers on Thursday and Saturday.
The Lakers (14-12) are coming off a 116-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. They have won two of their last three games after losing seven of nine.
The Lakers handed the Kings a 131-127 loss on Oct. 26 in Los Angeles. LeBron James put up a triple-double for the Lakers with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Sabonis posted a triple-double for the Kings with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 10:13 PM.
