In one of their more peculiar games of this season, the Nuggets won the hard way.
Losing Nikola Jokic’s minutes by seven points but winning the minutes without him by 13, Denver overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half to beat the Kings 116-110 on Wednesday night at Ball Arena.
“I thought tonight was a hell of a win. What I loved tonight was the defense. … As I was walking off the court tonight, somebody said, ‘We’ll take it.’ Damn right we’ll take it,” coach Michael Malone told reporters. “I don’t think anybody in this room realizes how hard it is to win a game, against a team that won four in a row. So for all the people out there saying we’ll take it, it wasn’t pretty — it’s a win. Let’s not get carried away. It’s a good win against a team that’s been playing well.”
Led by Zeke Nnaji’s star turn in the backup center role, Malone’s second unit leaned heavily on defense in two productive stints. He surrounded Jamal Murray with Nnaji, Peyton Watson and Russell Westbrook both halves. Michael Porter Jr. completed the lineup for its pivotal fourth-quarter stretch — a 12-2 run capped by Nnaji’s 3-pointer from the top of the key, giving the Nuggets a 96-95 edge. Nnaji finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three blocks.
Westbrook went for 25 points, two steals, two blocks and a corner three with 1:28 to go that doubled Denver’s lead. Sacramento did not go quietly — Zach LaVine answered 20 seconds later to creep back within one score — but the Nuggets made the stops and free throws necessary to escape.
Jokic had 22 points and 15 rebounds, but his six assists were matched by his turnovers. Murray was a team-best plus-21 en route to 24 points and eight assists.
“Zeke didn’t play for a very long time, and as soon as he (was) implemented back in the lineup, he’s freaking hooping,” Murray said. “And not just putting the ball in the hoop. We don’t need him to just put the ball in the hoop. Dude is playing defense. He’s rebounding. He’s talking. He’s playing physical. He’s jumping. He’s blocking shots. He’s running the floor. He’s not complaining. I could go on.”
The Nuggets (40-22) returned home from a four-game road trip with an injury report almost as long as their grocery lists after eight days away. Watson and Vlatko Cancar were both upgraded to questionable and eventually cleared to play after long-term absences. Cancar was active for the first time in 49 games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, but he didn’t leave the bench. Watson was able to play nearly 17 minutes after his 13-game absence for a sprained knee. He wasn’t on a minutes restriction.
Aaron Gordon missed his fourth consecutive game with a left ankle sprain. Nnaji was deemed able to play through his. Even Jokic played through a recent limp that developed early in Denver’s game Saturday at Boston. The injury was officially designated as left ankle inflammation.
The Kings took a page out of JJ Redick’s book and tried to deny Jokic the ball, fronting him in the post and swarming him on the catch and occasionally picking him up a mile from the basket. Appearing ginger physically and agitated mentally, he struggled to handle the army devoted to him. With Domantas Sabonis out for Sacramento, Jonas Valanciunas started at center — and guarded Westbrook, who clanked a jumper on the first possession of the game.
“It took a little while to get acclimated to them starting Jonas on Russ and just assigning a player to just mug Nikola all over the court,” Malone said.
Kings coach Doug Christie’s game plan extended to Braun, who looked unusually tentative early in the game and paid the price with a couple of turnovers. But he managed to assemble a 3-for-6 night beyond the arc anyway, tallying 15 points and seven assists. Westbrook settled in, too, driving into space more but also cashing a 4-for-7 outside shooting performance. Twelve of his points were scored in the fourth quarter.
Denver’s defensive commitment after two days of rest was a much larger problem that needed sorting out over the course of the game. Jake LaRavia demolished the Nuggets off Sacramento’s bench, scoring 11 of his 15 points during a two-minute stretch to lead a 42-point Kings first quarter. Afterward, they were held to 23, 28 and 17.
Jalen Pickett also played 18 minutes off the bench in Denver’s first game this season without Julian Strawther, who sprained his knee in Boston and is unlikely to return before April.
“You feel devastated for Julian Strawther, to be out for the next four weeks,” Malone said. “But as I told him — as I told all the guys who have gotten hurt — we’ll be with him every step of the way, and when they get back, we’ll see what happens. So hopefully he’s back before four weeks, but with him being out, we’ll rely on some other players.”
Originally Published: March 5, 2025 at 9:53 PM MST
