Watch: Jokic makes three-quarter court buzzer-beater in Nuggets’ win over Sacramento Kings
Nikola Jokic made an absurd buzzer-beater while posting his league-leading 20th triple-double of the season to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 132-123 victory over the visiting Sacramento Kings on Thursday at Ball Arena.
Jokic had 35 points, 22 rebounds and 17 assists for the Nuggets (28-16), who have won four in a row.
DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points to lead the Kings (23-21), who had won 10 of 12 under interim coach Doug Christie.
Jokic, a three-time MVP, made a three-quarter court shot at the third-quarter buzzer to put the Nuggets up by 25 points. The Kings staged a big fourth-quarter comeback to get within five, but Jokic made four free throws in the final minute to secure the victory for Denver.
The Kings will be back in action Saturday when they visit the New York Knicks.
Stat leaders
Domantas Sabonis also had a big game, posting his league-leading 39th double-double of the season for the Kings. Sabonis finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists.
De’Aaron Fox had 17 points and six assists. Malik Monk had 15 points and seven assists. Doug McDermott came off the bench to score 15 points in the fourth quarter, going 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
Halftime report
The Kings led 19-17 midway through the first quarter, but the Nuggets eventually took control. They led 40-31 at the end of the first quarter and carried a 74-52 advantage into the halftime break.
Denver shot 53.7% from the field while holding Sacramento to 38.8%. The Kings really struggled in the second quarter, going 7 of 26 (.269) from the field and 1 of 7 (.143) from 3-point range.
Second half
The Kings opened the second half with a 7-0 run. They outscored the Nuggets 17-7 over the first 4:05 to cut the deficit to 12, but Denver closed the third quarter with a big run to go up by 25.
The Kings outscored the Nuggets 38-22 in the fourth quarter to get within five on a 3-pointer by McDermott with 48.2 seconds remaining, but they couldn’t get any closer.
Up next
The Kings will continue their six-game road trip when they visit the Knicks on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks (29-16) are coming off a 99-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. They are third in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Boston Celtics and eight games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Upcoming schedule
Jan. 25 at New York Knicks
Jan. 27 at Brooklyn Nets
Jan. 29 at Philadelphia 76ers
Feb. 1 at Oklahoma City Thunder
Feb. 3 at Minnesota Timberwolves
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 9:36 PM.
