Denver Nuggets top Sacramento Kings in first game without Michael Malone
The Denver Nuggets picked up their first win in the post-Michael Malone era, defeating the Kings 124-116 on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Christian Braun scored 25 points to lead the Nuggets (48-32), who played their first game since Malone was fired Tuesday.
The Nuggets were led by interim coach David Adelman, whose father, Rick Adelman, guided the Kings to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1999-2006.
Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon scored 21 points apiece for Denver. Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Zach LaVine had 27 points and 11 assists for the Kings (39-41), who could have clinched the No. 9 spot and a first-round home game in the Western Conference play-in tournament with a win.
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points on 8-of-26 shooting. Keon Ellis had 20 points.
The Kings remained ninth in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks in the battle for homecourt advantage in the first round of the play-in tournament. The Phoenix Suns were eliminated from postseason contention Wednesday.
The Nuggets moved back in front of the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 4 seed in the West.
LaVine said the Nuggets are an experienced team that might have drawn a little extra motivation from the circumstances surrounding the coaching change.
“That’s a veteran group of guys,” LaVine said. “I know a lot of guys over there. They were going to be ready to play regardless. I think that just added a little to it.”
Sacramento was shorthanded again with Malik Monk (calf), Keegan Murray (back) and Jake LaRavia (thumb) out due to injuries. Monk, who is expected to be reevaluated in two weeks, will miss the rest of the regular season and the play-in tournament.
The Kings will be back in action Friday when they play host to the Los Angeles Clippers.
“That was a tough one, but we’re going to have to lick our wounds and come back and be ready to get at it because the Clippers are going to be coming,” interim Kings coach Doug Christie said.
Halftime report
Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon combined for 22 points in the opening period as Jokic eased his way into the game. Jokic only had four points, one rebound and two assists in the first quarter, but the Nuggets led 33-25 after shooting 65% in the first 12 minutes.
The Kings went up 34-33 after Doug McDermott came off the bench to hit two 3-pointers early in the second quarter. The Nuggets quickly reclaimed the lead and went into the locker room with a 66-58 advantage at the halftime break.
Braun led all scorers with 16 points. The Nuggets shot 56.5% from the field while outscoring the Kings 34-24 on points in the paint.
Second half
The Nuggets went up 73-58 after starting the second half with a 7-0 run. They took an 84-68 lead on a 3-pointer by Jalen Pickett. The Kings trailed 93-83 at the end of the third quarter after LaVine scored eight points over the last 2:11.
The Kings cut the deficit to seven on a basket by DeRozan early in the fourth quarter. They got within four on a 3-pointer by Ellis with 4:44 to play, but they couldn’t get any closer.
Up next
The Kings will face another team that is fighting for playoff position when they entertain the Clippers on Friday.
The Clippers (47-32) had won five in a row and seven of their last eight going into Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets.
Los Angeles is led by James Harden (22.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 8.6 apg), Norman Powell (22.1 ppg) and Kawhi Leonard (21.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.0 apg).
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 9:38 PM.
