Game ID: 22401225
Denver Nuggets @ Sacramento Kings
Monday, December 16, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAC 21 47 35 26 129DEN 41 34 21 34 130
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 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Lyles missed 4 since 11/27, out tonight
BACK DeRozan back 12/01 after 2, 35 min since (98% of 36)
BACK Monk back 11/25 after 7, 34 min since (107% of 32)
NEW Crowder 11 to 18 min over the last 4
SAC availability going into 12/06 · back-to-backOUT Lyles missed 5 since 11/27, out tonight
BACK DeRozan back 12/01 after 2, 35 min since (99% of 36)
NEW Crowder 11 to 17 min over the last 5
SAC availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Lyles missed 6 since 11/27, out tonight
BACK DeRozan back 12/01 after 2, 35 min since (96% of 36)
SAC availability going into 12/12 · 3 days' restOUT Lyles missed 7 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Crowder missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK DeRozan back 12/01 after 2, 34 min since (93% of 36)
SAC availability going into 12/16 · 3 days' restOUT Lyles missed 8 since 11/27, out tonight
OUT Crowder missed 3 since 12/06, returns tonight: 5 min (46% of 11)
SAC availability going into 12/19 · 2 days' restOUT Lyles missed 9 since 11/27, out tonight
BACK Crowder back 12/16 after 3, 5 min since (46% of 11)
SAC availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Lyles missed 10 since 11/27, returns tonight: 17 min (87% of 20)
BACK Crowder back 12/16 after 3, 5 min since (46% of 11)
SAC availability going into 12/22 · back-to-backOUT Crowder missed 2 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Lyles back 12/21 after 10, 17 min since (87% of 20)
SAC availability going into 12/26 · 3 days' restOUT Crowder missed 3 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Lyles back 12/21 after 10, 18 min since (93% of 20)
DEN availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 13 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 2 since 12/01, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 28 min since (94% of 30)
DEN availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 5 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 14 since 11/04, returns tonight: 16 min (124% of 13)
OUT Jordan missed 3 since 12/01, returns tonight: 9 min (81% of 12)
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 30 min since (100% of 30)
DEN availability going into 12/08 · back-to-backOUT Šarić missed 6 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 30 min since (100% of 30)
BACK Pickett back 12/07 after 14, 16 min since (124% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 9 min since (81% of 12)
DEN availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Murray missed 2 since 12/07, returns tonight: 32 min (85% of 37)
OUT Šarić missed 7 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 28 min since (94% of 30)
BACK Pickett back 12/07 after 14, 17 min since (130% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 10 min since (84% of 12)
DEN availability going into 12/16 · 2 days' restOUT Šarić missed 8 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Murray back 12/13 after 2, 32 min since (85% of 37)
BACK Pickett back 12/07 after 14, 12 min since (98% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 11 min since (98% of 12)
DEN availability going into 12/19 · 2 days' restOUT Šarić missed 9 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Murray back 12/13 after 2, 35 min since (94% of 37)
BACK Pickett back 12/07 after 14, 12 min since (98% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 11 min since (95% of 12)
DEN availability going into 12/22 · 2 days' restOUT Šarić missed 10 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 2 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Nnaji missed 2 since 12/16, out tonight
BACK Murray back 12/13 after 2, 36 min since (97% of 37)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 11 min since (95% of 12)
DEN availability going into 12/23 · back-to-backOUT Šarić missed 11 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 3 since 12/16, returns tonight: 23 min (183% of 13)
OUT Nnaji missed 3 since 12/16, returns tonight: 4 min (40% of 10)
BACK Murray back 12/13 after 2, 37 min since (101% of 37)
DEN availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 12 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Murray back 12/13 after 2, 37 min since (101% of 37)
BACK Pickett back 12/23 after 3, 23 min since (183% of 13)
BACK Nnaji back 12/23 after 3, 4 min since (40% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Sabonis at 23 and DeRozan at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Lyles (8 straight). 3 days' rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Jokić at 37 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Denver giving it away 17 times a game to Sacramento's 11 and the arc, Sacramento at 40 percent from three to Denver's 34. Call it Sacramento 119, Denver 114.
12/05 @ MEM 110-115 — SAC notes
SAC lost 110-115. SAC took 18 more shots (98 to 80), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to MEM's 48%, 8 of 35 from three. SAC turned it over 13 times to MEM's 22. DeRozan led with 26 (6 of 15, 13 of 14 at the line); Monk added 23, Fox 18. Q3 was theirs, 24-23, the deficit cut from 1 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 92-86 against them. They led by as many as 12.
12/06 @ SAS 140-113 — SAC notes
SAC won 140-113. SAC shot 57% (51 of 90) to SAS's 43%, 16 of 34 from three, and got to the line 24 times to SAS's 30. DeRozan led with 23 (8 of 15, 1 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Monk added 22, Fox 22. The hinge was Q4, 40-27: a lead of 14 became 27. Ellis was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
12/08 vs UTA 141-97 — SAC notes
SAC won 141-97. SAC shot 57% (57 of 100) to UTA's 39%, 22 of 44 from three, and got to the line 8 times to UTA's 21. SAC turned it over 8 times to UTA's 20. Huerter led with 26 (10 of 14, 6 of 9 from three); Fox added 21, Sabonis 19. The hinge was Q2, 36-22: a lead of 3 became 17, and the lead reached 46. Huerter was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
12/12 @ NOP 111-109 — SAC notes
SAC won 111-109. SAC shot 40% (37 of 92) to NOP's 47%, 10 of 33 from three, and went to the line 29 times to NOP's 20 — 27 points from the stripe to their 17. SAC turned it over 11 times to NOP's 17. Sabonis led with 32 (11 of 15, 9 of 9 at the line); DeRozan added 29, Fox 18. The hinge was Q3, 38-28: SAC came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 8. SAC trailed 53-55 at the half and won the second half 58-54. DeRozan was the night's best plus/minus at +6.
12/16 vs DEN 129-130 — SAC notes
SAC lost 129-130. SAC shot 48% (49 of 102) to DEN's 50%, 12 of 35 from three. The glass went 42-55 against them. Fox led with 29 (11 of 24, 2 of 7 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Sabonis added 28, Monk 25. Q3 was theirs, 35-21, turning a 7-point deficit into a 7-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 109-94 against them. They led by as many as 10. Fox's -13 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/19 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Sabonis at 24 and DeRozan at 23 a game. Without Lyles (9 straight). 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 115, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; James at 29 and Davis at 28 a game. They have lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Hayes (9 straight), Vanderbilt (20 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 16 times a game to Sacramento's 11 and the glass, where Sacramento has been minus-0 a night and the Lakers minus-7. Call it Sacramento 119, the Lakers 110.
12/21 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 112, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sabonis at 24 and Fox at 23 a game. Without Lyles (10 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 25 a game. Without Hayes (10 straight), Vanderbilt (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 15 times a game to Sacramento's 11 and the arc, Sacramento at 41 percent from three to the Lakers' 36. Call it Sacramento 117, the Lakers 111.
12/22 vs IND — 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 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Fox at 25 and Sabonis at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Second night of a back-to-back. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Haliburton at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Nesmith (22 straight), Isa. Jackson (22 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the arc, Indiana at 42 percent from three to Sacramento's 37. Call it Sacramento 116, Indiana 114, Indiana keeping it close.
12/26 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 115, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Fox at 25 and Sabonis at 23 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. 3 days' rest. Detroit comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 122, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Cunningham at 24 and Beasley at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Stewart (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Sacramento allowing 115 a night to Detroit's 122 and the arc, Detroit at 36 percent from three to Sacramento's 32. Call it Sacramento 116, Detroit 114, Detroit keeping it close.
12/05 @ CLE 114-126 — DEN notes
DEN lost 114-126. DEN shot 48% (46 of 96) to CLE's 50%, 6 of 24 from three, and went to the line 22 times to CLE's 16 — 16 points from the stripe to their 10. Jokić led with 27 (13 of 26, 0 of 3 from three); Porter Jr. added 24, Murray 19. Q2 was theirs, 35-29, the deficit cut from 10 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 97-79 against them. Westbrook's -15 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/07 @ WAS 113-122 — DEN notes
DEN lost 113-122. DEN shot 48% (46 of 95) to WAS's 48%, 5 of 25 from three. Jokić led with 56 (22 of 39, 3 of 6 from three, 9 of 13 at the line); Strawther added 18, Braun 14. Q3 was theirs, 36-30, the deficit cut from 12 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 92-77 against them. Watson's -17 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/08 @ ATL 141-111 — DEN notes
DEN won 141-111. DEN shot 63% (56 of 89) to ATL's 41%, 12 of 27 from three. DEN turned it over 18 times to ATL's 12, and ATL turned those into 12 steals. Jokić led with 48 (17 of 29, 3 of 6 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); Porter Jr. added 26, Braun 17. The hinge was Q1, 38-23: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 32. Braun was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
12/13 vs LAC 120-98 — DEN notes
DEN won 120-98. DEN shot 55% (42 of 77) to LAC's 45%, 10 of 29 from three, and went to the line 32 times to LAC's 18 — 26 points from the stripe to their 10. The glass went 46-31 for them. Murray led with 20 (8 of 16, 2 of 5 from three); Porter Jr. added 17, Jokić 16. The hinge was Q3, 35-22: a lead of 1 became 14, and the lead reached 25. Westbrook was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/16 @ SAC 130-129 — DEN notes
DEN won 130-129. DEN shot 50% (51 of 102) to SAC's 48%, 10 of 28 from three. The glass went 55-42 for them. Murray led with 28 (11 of 26, 4 of 8 from three); Gordon added 24, Jokić 20. The hinge was Q1, 41-21: from level to 20 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
12/19 @ 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 105 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 17 free throws a game; Simons at 17 and Grant at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Ayton (2 straight), Thybulle (26 straight), Murray (2 straight). 3 days' rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 117, shooting 53 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Murray at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-6 a night and Portland minus-5 and the line, where Denver takes 26 free throws a game to Portland's 17. Call it Denver 119, Portland 113.
12/22 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 118, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Murphy III at 23 and McCollum at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Williamson (20 straight), Alvarado (18 straight), Payton (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 117, shooting 54 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Jokić at 35 and Murray at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and New Orleans minus-3. Call it Denver 119, New Orleans 112.
12/23 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 119, shooting 54 percent and 38 from three, 27 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Murray at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 51 percent and 43 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 32 and Booker at 26 a game. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-6 a night and Phoenix minus-1 and the arc, Phoenix at 43 percent from three to Denver's 38. Call it Denver 122, Phoenix 117.
12/25 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 31 and Booker at 26 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Booker (2 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 114, shooting 52 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-8 a night and Phoenix minus-2 and the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to Denver's 37. Call it Denver 119, Phoenix 116, Phoenix keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
DJ D. Jordan
HT H. Tyson
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
SACAL A. Len
CJ C. Jones
DD D. DeRozan
DF D. Fox
DM D. McDermott
DS D. Sabonis
IJ I. Jones
JC J. Crowder
KE K. Ellis
MM M. Monk
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
Jokic has another triple-double as Nuggets rally past Kings 130-129
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- — Jamal Murray made a go-ahead jumper with 8.6 seconds remaining and the Denver Nuggets rallied past the Sacramento Kings 130-129 on Monday night.
Nikola Jokic had his NBA-leading 10th triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists as the Nuggets ended Sacramento’s three-game winning streak. Murray scored 28 points, while Russell Westbrook had 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.
Denver (14-10) trailed by 10 with four minutes remaining before storming back on the strength of a 14-3 spurt.
The teams exchanged leads seven times over the final 75 seconds, with Murray nailing the decisive shot about 12 seconds after DeMar DeRozan put the Kings (13-14) in front with a baseline dunk.
DeRozan missed inside in the final seconds, and the Nuggets held on.
Domantas Sabonis had 28 points, 14 rebounds and six assists for the Kings. De’Aaron Fox added 29 points and seven assists. Malik Monk scored 25.
Takeaways Nuggets: Westbrook has been a critical player for Denver. The nine-time All-Star has spent most of the season coming off the bench, but has made several effective spot starts at multiple positions — as he did Monday when he filled in for injured Christian Braun .
Kings: Mike Brown’s squad showed good energy coming back to take the lead after beginning the game flat on both ends of the floor and falling behind 41-21 at the end of one quarter. Denver was the more physical team most of the night, although the Kings played significantly better in the second half.
Key moment Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with 1:49 left to bring the Nuggets within one. Michael Porter Jr . made a steal on the other end and Jokic scored off an assist from Westbrook to put Denver ahead 123-122 with 1:15 remaining before the game went back-and-forth the rest of the way.
Key stat Denver scored 76 points in the paint, 33 more than Sacramento had been allowing this season.
Up next Nuggets: Face the Trail Blazers in Portland on Thursday.