Russell Westbrook had a big game in his return to the Mile High City, but it wasn’t enough to overcome an even bigger game by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Jokic had a season-high 34 points, seven rebounds, 14 assists, four steals and two blocked shots in a 130-124 victory over the visiting Kings on Monday night at Ball Arena in Denver.
Westbrook scored a season-high 26 points with 12 rebounds and six assists for the Kings (2-5), who will come home to start a five-game homestand after going 1-3 on their four-game road trip.
Westbrook averaged 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals in a backup role for the Nuggets last season. He signed a nonguaranteed one-year, $3.8 million veteran’s minimum contract with the Kings less than a week before the season began.
Kings coach Doug Christie had high praise for Westbrook when asked about the future Hall of Famer and former MVP during his pregame press conference.
“Spectacular,” Christie said. “I can’t say enough about Russ. His gravity, his intensity, his attention to detail, his willingness to speak out as opposed to whispering in the corner. He’s going to say it. I’m that way, so it’s nice to have a player in the locker room who’s that way as well because communication is big. It’s something that has to happen amongst our players.”
DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points for Sacramento. Dennis Schroder had 18 points and nine assists. Zach LaVine, who was questionable due to lower back soreness, was held to 15 points after scoring 30 or more in five of the first six games.
Domantas Sabonis had 13 points, 17 rebounds and five assists while playing through pain throughout the game. The Kings got a nice spark from their bench with Keon Ellis scoring 15 points, Drew Eubanks scoring 10 and rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford adding eight.
Christian Braun scored 21 points for the Nuggets (4-2). Aaron Gordon scored 20. Jamal Murray posted 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Halftime report
Jokic went into the game shooting 23.8% from 3-point range after going 2 of 16 from beyond the arc to start the season, but he came out firing against Sacramento. Jokic drained a 3-pointer from the top of the arc on the opening possession, setting the tone for things to come as the Nuggets outscored the Kings 10-1 over the first two minutes.
The Nuggets went up by as many as 12 in the first quarter with Jokic accounting for 15 points and five assists. They led 39-30 after shooting 59.3% from the field while going 6 of 12 (.500) from 3-point range in the opening period.
“I really think, talking to the guys, the collective sense of urgency in the first quarter just wasn’t there,” Christie said. “... You just can’t let a team that can put points on the board, has the ability to get others involved, you can’t give them 39 points in the first quarter.”
Sabonis played through pain and discomfort after taking a beating in the opening minutes. He came away holding his right shoulder after fouling Jokic in the first two minutes and took a shot to the ribs while defending Jokic moments later.
The Kings came back to cut the deficit to two on a three-point play by LaVine with 4:28 to play in the second quarter, but they trailed 72-63 at the halftime break. Jokic led all scorers with 22 points in the first half. Westbrook had 18 points and seven rebounds for Sacramento.
Second-half summary
The Nuggets staged an 8-0 run to go up by 15 points on a basket by Braun with 8:34 to play in the third quarter.
The Kings cut the deficit to single digits on a big putback dunk by Clifford, a former Colorado and Colorado State star who played his first pro game in his home state, but Sacramento trailed 104-93 at the end of the third period.
The Kings came back to get within six on a basket by Westbrook early in the fourth quarter. They only trailed by seven following a 3-pointer by Ellis with 5:16 to play, but the Nuggets responded with a 6-0 run to take a 128-115 lead with 3:12 remaining.
Sacramento got within six on a basket by Schroder with 10.5 seconds to go, but by then it was too late.
Up next
The Kings will return to Sacramento to open a five-game homestand when they host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.
The Warriors (4-3) will be on the second night of a back-to-back after facing the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. They are coming off back-to-back losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers.
Steph Curry leads the team in scoring at 26.6 points per game. Jimmy Butler is averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Jonathan Kuminga, who was the subject of sign-and-trade talks with the Kings over the summer, is averaging 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 43.5% from 3-point range.