What we learned when King’s comeback wasted in loss to Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
BOX SCORE
SACRAMENTO – Domantas Sabonis put together another fantastic game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a slow start from the Kings in their 130-129 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
Sabonis had 28 points, 14 rebounds and six assists to lead a group of five Kings players in double figures. De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points with seven assists. Malik Monk scored 25 points, while DeMar DeRozan added 17 points and Doug McDermott 16.
The Kings trailed by 23 and allowed 75 points in the first half before getting things back on track in the second half.
The game eventually became exciting. There were seven lead changes in the final 75 seconds, with DeRozan’s baseline dunk with 18 seconds left bringing the Golden 1 Center crowd to its feet.
However, the Kings couldn’t hold on. Denver’s Jamal Murray sank a 15-foot jumper with 8.6 seconds left for the winning shot.
The Kings played without Keegan Murray (left ankle soreness) and Kevin Huerter (sprained left AC joint).
These are the conclusions from Monday’s match:
Dougie starts in place of Keegan
McDermott was solid when he started in place of Murray after the Kings forward made a late scratch. McDermott had the best hand on Sacramento’s roster, shooting 6 of 9 overall (4 of 7 behind the arc).
McDermott’s third start of the 2024-25 NBA season came eight days after he thrilled the Golden 1 Center crowd by coming off the bench to score 18 points on six shots in six minutes against the Utah Jazz.
Jokić vs. Domas
In a classic battle of big men, Sabonis gave Jokić all he could handle, though Jokić ultimately had the better stats with his NBA-leading 10e triple-double of the season.
Sabonis came close and showed no fear in the match of former triple-double champions, going straight at and through Jokić several times, although Joker had the last laugh with the victory.
Protect the paint
The Nuggets are second in the NBA in scoring in the paint, and they continued that trend against the Kings with an absurd 76-58 lead there. That’s 33 more points than the Kings have allowed in the key, and in the end, they were the difference.
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