The Denver Nuggets looked anything like a contender when they were run off their own court by Cleveland on Dec. 27. The Cavaliers put up 149 points en route to dropping Denver’s record to 16-13 for the season.
Nearly a month later, the Nuggets are resembling the team that won the NBA title in 2022-23. They have won three games in a row and 11 of their last 14 games heading into Thursday night’s game against the visiting Sacramento Kings.
“We’re a good team. We’re getting (healthier),” said Christian Braun, who has scored 20 points in two straight games.
“We’re just in a good rhythm, we’re doing things the right way. But we have to continue to get better, don’t be content with where we’re at. This next stretch until All-Star break is obviously really important. It’s always an important stretch, at least for standings.”
Denver’s health improved with the return of Aaron Gordon six games ago. Gordon has come off the bench since coming back from his right calf strain that has cost him 19 games in two different stints on injured reserve.
The formula seems to be working. Nikola Jokic has four straight triple-doubles to boost his total to an NBA-leading 19 this season.
Jokic continues to lead the team in scoring (30.1 points), rebounds (13.2) and assists (9.9) per game. He ranks in the top three in the league in each of those categories. Jamal Murray is second on the team in scoring at 19.8 points, and Michael Porter Jr. is third at 18.2.
Denver will face a Sacramento team playing the second leg of a back-to-back set, but the Kings come in with momentum. They pulled away late to beat Golden State 123-117 on Wednesday night to continue their surge since coach Mike Brown was fired in late December.
Sacramento is 10-2 since Doug Christie took over as interim coach, including three straight wins heading into Thursday’s game. One of the Kings’ last losses before the coaching change came at home against the Nuggets on Dec. 16. Denver rallied from 10 points down in the final four minutes to pull out a 130-129 win.
The Kings are playing better now, led by De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Fox is averaging 25.6 points a game, and Sabonis boosted his NBA-best rebounds-per-game average to 14.3 with 18 on Wednesday night. DeMar DeRozan, who is second on the team in scoring at 21.8, scored 32 against Golden State.
Sabonis also leads the NBA in 3-point percentage at 48.5. He has worked hard at improving his shooting from deep.
“Sometimes it doesn’t happen overnight,” Sabonis said. “You’ve got to keep doing it one summer, another offseason, another offseason. You just hope at one point you’re going to break through, and so far this year it’s been going in, so I’ve just got to keep sticking with it and shooting with confidence.”
–Field Level Media
