1st Quarter Report
The Nuggets are on the road but looking no worse for wear. After one quarter their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Kings 41-21.
If the Nuggets keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 14-10 in no time. On the other hand, the Kings will have to make due with a 13-14 record unless they turn things around.
Who’s Playing
Denver Nuggets @ Sacramento Kings
Current Records: Denver 13-10, Sacramento 13-13
How To Watch
- When: Monday, December 16, 2024 at 10 p.m. ET
- Where: Golden 1 Center — Sacramento, California
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
What to Know
Two dominant centers in Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Denver Nuggets are taking a road trip to face off against the Sacramento Kings at 10:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Golden 1 Center. The Nuggets are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 118.7 points per game this season.
The Kings better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if last week is any indication, that’s when the Nuggets really get things going. Everything went the Nuggets’ way against the Clippers on Friday as the Nuggets made off with a 120-98 victory. For those keeping track at home, that’s the biggest win Denver has posted against Los Angeles since January 5, 2023.
Meanwhile, the Kings entered their tilt with the Pelicans on Thursday with two consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with three. They skirted past New Orleans 111-109. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest victory Sacramento has posted since March 23rd.
Sabonis continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 32 points and 20 rebounds. He is becoming a predictor of the Kings’ success: when he posts at least 15 points the team is 2-1 (and 11-12 when he doesn’t). DeMar DeRozan was another key player, putting up 29 points and four steals.
The Kings smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Pelicans only pulled down ten offensive boards.
Sacramento has been performing well recently as they’ve won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 13-13 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 124.4 points per game. As for Denver, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 13-10.
Keep an eye on the arc in Monday’s match: The Nuggets have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.1% of their three-pointers per game. It’s a different story for the Kings, though, as they’ve only made 34.4% of their three-pointers this season. Given the Nuggets’ sizable advantage in that area, the Kings will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Nuggets are hoping to beat the odds on Monday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 5-2 against the spread when playing as the underdog.
Odds
Sacramento is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Denver, according to the latest NBA odds.
The over/under is 237 points.
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Series History
Denver has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Sacramento.
- Feb 28, 2024 – Denver 117 vs. Sacramento 96
- Feb 14, 2024 – Sacramento 102 vs. Denver 98
- Feb 09, 2024 – Sacramento 135 vs. Denver 106
- Dec 02, 2023 – Sacramento 123 vs. Denver 117
- Apr 09, 2023 – Denver 109 vs. Sacramento 95
- Dec 28, 2022 – Sacramento 127 vs. Denver 126
- Dec 27, 2022 – Denver 113 vs. Sacramento 106
- Mar 09, 2022 – Denver 106 vs. Sacramento 100
- Feb 26, 2022 – Denver 115 vs. Sacramento 110
- Feb 24, 2022 – Denver 128 vs. Sacramento 110
