Game ID: 22300746
Denver Nuggets @ Sacramento Kings
Friday, February 9, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAC 32 35 39 29 135DEN 35 22 29 20 106
DEN @ SAC ScoutingDEN @ SAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
SAC availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 5 since 1/22, out tonight
OUT Duarte missed 3 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 4 since 1/25, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 1/22 after 3, 15 min since (100% of 15)
NEW Barnes 29 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Huerter 24 to 33 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/03 · back-to-backOUT Ellis missed 6 since 1/22, out tonight
OUT Duarte missed 4 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Vezenkov missed 5 since 1/25, out tonight
NEW Barnes 29 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Huerter 24 to 34 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restOUT Ellis missed 7 since 1/22, returns tonight: 3 min (19% of 17)
OUT Duarte missed 5 since 1/27, returns tonight: 3 min (26% of 12)
OUT Vezenkov missed 6 since 1/25, out tonight
NEW Barnes 29 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Huerter 24 to 31 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Vezenkov missed 7 since 1/25, returns tonight: 6 min (45% of 12)
BACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 3 min since (19% of 17)
BACK Duarte back 2/05 after 5, 3 min since (26% of 12)
NEW Barnes 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Huerter 24 to 32 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restBACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 3 min since (19% of 17)
BACK Duarte back 2/05 after 5, 3 min since (26% of 12)
BACK Vezenkov back 2/07 after 7, 6 min since (45% of 12)
NEW Huerter 24 to 31 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 2/11 · 1 day's restOUT Duarte missed 2 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 4 min since (26% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 2/07 after 7, 11 min since (86% of 12)
SAC availability going into 2/13 · 1 day's restOUT Duarte missed 3 since 2/07, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 9 min since (51% of 17)
BACK Vezenkov back 2/07 after 7, 11 min since (86% of 12)
SAC availability going into 2/14 · back-to-backOUT Duarte missed 4 since 2/07, returns tonight: 8 min (64% of 12)
OUT Vezenkov missed 2 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Ellis back 2/05 after 7, 8 min since (49% of 17)
SAC availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Vezenkov missed 3 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Duarte back 2/14 after 4, 8 min since (64% of 12)
DEN availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 1/27, returns tonight: 11 min (78% of 15)
OUT Strawther missed 12 since 1/05, out tonight
DEN availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 13 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (80% of 15)
DEN availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 14 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (79% of 15)
DEN availability going into 2/08 · 3 days' restOUT Strawther missed 15 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/31 after 2, 12 min since (78% of 15)
NEW Watson 18 to 23 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/09 · back-to-backOUT Strawther missed 16 since 1/05, returns tonight: 20 min (192% of 11)
BACK Holiday back 1/31 after 2, 15 min since (103% of 15)
NEW Watson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/12 · 2 days' restOUT Caldwell-Pope missed 2 since 2/08, returns tonight: 9 min (29% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 1/31 after 2, 20 min since (139% of 15)
BACK Strawther back 2/09 after 16, 20 min since (192% of 11)
NEW Watson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restBACK Caldwell-Pope back 2/12 after 2, 9 min since (29% of 32)
BACK Strawther back 2/09 after 16, 14 min since (127% of 11)
NEW Watson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 15 to 22 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restBACK Caldwell-Pope back 2/12 after 2, 9 min since (29% of 32)
BACK Strawther back 2/09 after 16, 14 min since (127% of 11)
NEW Holiday 15 to 28 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 2/23 · back-to-backOUT Jordan missed 2 since 2/14, out tonight
BACK Caldwell-Pope back 2/12 after 2, 13 min since (39% of 32)
BACK Strawther back 2/09 after 16, 10 min since (98% of 11)
NEW Holiday 15 to 26 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 22 and Sabonis at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 106 a night to Sacramento's 124 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Sacramento minus-7. Call it Sacramento 116, Denver 115, Denver keeping it close.
2/02 @ IND 133-122 — SAC notes
SAC won 133-122. SAC shot 57% (51 of 90) to IND's 54%, 13 of 34 from three. SAC turned it over 16 times to IND's 22. Sabonis led with 26 (9 of 14, 8 of 9 at the line); Fox added 25, Monk 23. The hinge was Q2, 33-25: SAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 7, and the lead reached 18. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
2/03 @ CHI 123-115 — SAC notes
SAC won 123-115. SAC shot 50% (42 of 84) to CHI's 46%, 15 of 39 from three, and went to the line 29 times to CHI's 22 — 24 points from the stripe to their 20. Fox led with 41 (13 of 24, 5 of 11 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Monk added 22, Lyles 16. The hinge was Q2, 39-27: a lead of 7 became 19, and the lead reached 30. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
2/05 @ CLE 110-136 — SAC notes
SAC lost 110-136. SAC shot 46% (43 of 93) to CLE's 58%, 17 of 44 from three. Barnes led with 22 (8 of 15, 6 of 10 from three); Fox added 19, Monk 18. Q3 was theirs, 33-32, the deficit cut from 15 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 104-77 against them. Sabonis's -25 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/07 vs DET 120-133 — SAC notes
SAC lost 120-133. SAC took 11 more shots (95 to 84), but shot 47% to DET's 56%, 15 of 44 from three. SAC turned it over 4 times to DET's 11. The glass went 33-48 against them. Sabonis led with 30 (11 of 17, 1 of 3 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Monk added 23, Lyles 19. Q3 was theirs, 36-27, turning a 7-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 106-84 against them. Sabonis's -17 in 41 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/09 vs DEN 135-106 — SAC notes
SAC won 135-106. SAC shot 59% (51 of 87) to DEN's 46%, 17 of 34 from three, and got to the line 18 times to DEN's 28. Monk led with 23 (9 of 13, 3 of 7 from three); Sabonis added 17, K. Murray 17. The hinge was Q2, 35-22: SAC came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 10, and the lead reached 32. Fox was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
2/11 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Holmgren at 18 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 22 and Monk at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 120, Sacramento 119, Sacramento keeping it close.
2/13 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 54 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Booker at 26 a game. 2 days' rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 123, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Monk at 22 and Fox at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 115 a night to Sacramento's 123. Call it Phoenix 122, Sacramento 116.
2/14 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Porter Jr. at 16 a game. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 126, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sabonis at 23 and Monk at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 113 a night to Sacramento's 126. Call it Denver 119, Sacramento 114.
2/22 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Sabonis at 25 and Fox at 22 a game. 7 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 21 and Vassell at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 7 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-2 a night and San Antonio minus-5 and the arc, Sacramento at 36 percent from three to San Antonio's 31. Call it Sacramento 120, San Antonio 112.
1/31 @ OKC 100-105 — DEN notes
DEN lost 100-105. DEN shot 40% (37 of 93) to OKC's 43%, 15 of 37 from three, and got to the line 16 times to OKC's 25. Gordon led with 16 (7 of 16, 1 of 3 from three, 1 of 6 at the line); Murray added 16, Jackson 16. Q1 was theirs, 28-19, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them. They led by as many as 13. Porter Jr.'s -16 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/02 vs POR 120-108 — DEN notes
DEN won 120-108. DEN shot 51% (46 of 91) to POR's 46%, 12 of 36 from three, and got to the line 17 times to POR's 30. The glass went 48-37 for them. Jokić led with 27 (11 of 16); Gordon added 18, Caldwell-Pope 16. The hinge was Q1, 33-20: from level to 13 ahead. Caldwell-Pope was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
2/04 vs POR 112-103 — DEN notes
DEN won 112-103. DEN shot 49% (42 of 86) to POR's 46%, 12 of 28 from three. DEN turned it over 8 times to POR's 13. Jokić led with 29 (12 of 20, 1 of 3 from three); Murray added 21, Watson 12. The hinge was Q2, 35-26: the deficit went from 12 to 3, and the lead reached 15. DEN trailed 60-63 at the half and won the second half 52-40. Braun was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
2/08 @ LAL 114-106 — DEN notes
DEN won 114-106. DEN shot 48% (47 of 97) to LAL's 46%, 14 of 32 from three, and got to the line 7 times to LAL's 22. DEN turned it over 12 times to LAL's 7, and LAL turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 50-39 for them. Murray led with 29 (12 of 25, 5 of 9 from three); Porter Jr. added 27, Jokić 24. The hinge was Q1, 29-23: from level to 6 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Gordon was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
2/09 @ SAC 106-135 — DEN notes
DEN lost 106-135. DEN shot 46% (38 of 82) to SAC's 59%, 10 of 29 from three, and went to the line 28 times to SAC's 18 — 20 points from the stripe to their 16. Jokić led with 23 (9 of 17); Gordon added 14, Braun 13. Q1 was theirs, 35-32, but the other 3 periods went 103-71 against them. Gordon's -28 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/12 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Middleton (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 18 a game. Without Caldwell-Pope (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-2 a night and Milwaukee minus-7 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 23 free throws a game to Denver's 17. Call it Milwaukee 116, Denver 113, Denver keeping it close.
2/14 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Porter Jr. at 16 a game. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 126, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sabonis at 23 and Monk at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 113 a night to Sacramento's 126. Call it Denver 119, Sacramento 114.
2/22 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Porter Jr. at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. 7 days' rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Avdija at 24 and Kuzma at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. 7 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 112 a night to Washington's 122. Call it Denver 118, Washington 111.
2/23 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Grant at 26 and Simons at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Sharpe (17 straight), Brogdon (5 straight), Rupert (7 straight). 7 days' rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jokić at 22 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-4 a night and Portland minus-3 and the line, where Portland takes 24 free throws a game to Denver's 18. Call it Denver 112, Portland 110, Portland keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
CG C. Gillespie
DJ D. Jordan
JH J. Holiday
JH J. Huff
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
JO Jokic
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RJ R. Jackson
ZN Z. Nnaji
SACAL A. Len
AV A. Vezenkov
CJ C. Jones
DF D. Fox
DM D. Mitchell
DS D. Sabonis
HB H. Barnes
JM J. McGee
KE K. Edwards
KE K. Ellis
KH K. Huerter
KM K. Murray
MM M. Monk
TL T. Lyles
DEN/SAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Sabonis breaks tie with Jokic for NBA triple-double lead with 16, Kings rout Nuggets 135-106
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- — Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to break a tie with Nikola Jokic for the NBA triple-double lead with 16 and the Sacramento Kings beat the Denver Nuggets 135-106 on Friday night.
Jokic, the NBA triple-double leader the last two seasons, had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to fall just short of keeping pace with Sabonis.
“Going against the best is always more exciting, more fun,” Sabonis said. “You always want to challenge yourself as a competitor. As a competitor you always want to go against the best.”
The defending champion Nuggets lost for the first time in four games and missed a chance to slip past the Minnesota Timberwolves for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Malik Monk added 23 points for the Kings. De’Aaron Fox had 15 points, 10 assists and five steals. Keegan Murray scored 17 points.
Sabonis is a major reason why the Kings are still in contention in their quest to make back-to-back appearances in the postseason since 2004-06.
A three-time All-Star who didn’t make the team this season, Sabonis shot 7 of 9 from the floor and had 16 of his rebounds off the defensive glass. He is attempting to become the second Kings player in the Sacramento era to lead the NBA in triple-doubles. Chris Webber shared the league lead of five with Jason Kidd during the 1999-2000 season.
Sacramento rebounded from a loss to lowly Detroit to beat the Nuggets. The Kings led by 32, forced 21 turnovers and held a 65-42 advantage in bench scoring.
“I told our guys, ‘I believe in you. You guys have a chance to be great,’” Kings coach Mike Brown said. It shouldn’t take a loss like we had for us to lock in like we did tonight. It’s up to us to lock in, focus on the small details and go out there and perform for 48 minutes from start to finish. If we do, we’ll be happy where we are at the end of the year.”
Aaron Gordon scored 14 points for Denver. Christian Braun added 13 and Jamal Murray had 12. The Nuggets were playing on the second-half of a back-to-back after beating the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Nuggets coach Mike Malone bemoaned his team’s self-inflicted errors. Denver’s turnovers led to 37 points for the Kings.
“We didn’t take away anything, but you’re not going to beat a good team on the road with what we have,” Malone said. “When they covert at that kind of rate, you’re not giving yourself a chance to win.”
Monk made one of the biggest plays of the night when he stole an inbounds pass and made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter.