Headed into Saturday night’s matchup on an eight-game skid, the Sacramento Kings left Denver with that in the rearview as they secured a 128-123 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Keegan Murray made his second appearance of the season (and first start), and his impact was apparent. The former fourth-overall selection recorded 19 points and five rebounds. He was one of six Kings players to tally double-digit points.
Dennis Schroder managed 21 points and seven assists off the bench while former Nugget Russell Westbrook added 21 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds — fifteen of his points came in the final frame. He and DeMar DeRozan took their side home in clutch time.
Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets, per usual, with a superstar line of 44 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists on 16/28 shooting.
Sacramento head coach Doug Christie often preaches for his team to defend, rebound, and share. Those keys were in full effect Saturday night as 13 Nuggets turnovers led to 20 points. With 32 assists and 62 points in the paint, their offensive success was apparent.
That concluded a five-game road trip for Sacramento (3-13), who return home to Golden 1 Center to face the Minnesota Timberwolves (also for the third time) on Monday night.
Kings @ Nuggets Game Notes
Starting for the first time this season, Murray was the first one to get Sacramento on the board with a tough self-created shot. Monitoring the fourth-year wing’s progress this season could be a rare bright spot in a Kings season that’s been fairly dull up to this point.
Their third game against the Nuggets already, and second in Denver, the Nuggets were coming off a hard-fought win in Houston the night prior. Drew Eubanks was assigned to Jokic from the jump, not exactly an ideal matchup for the three-time NBA Most Valuable Players.
Of course, they aimed to capitalise on that and the otherworldly playmaking hub found his teammates as they relocated around the perimeter or cut to the basket. Murray and Westbrook led the show, attempting to beat their players off the dribble and get downhill, alternating the lead with Denver early in the action.
Head coach Doug Christie’s “make them feel us” defensive approach was more apparent. Murray’s defensive presence, assigned to point guard Jamal Murray, was felt, and his team turned any turnovers into easy buckets on the other end. More than anything, they came from the interior.
Keegan turning defense into offense ♻️ pic.twitter.com/XNAPkIwrUi
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 23, 2025
Tied at 16 just less than six minutes in, Sacramento had six points on four Nuggets turnovers and 14 points in the paint.
Eubanks tallied his second foul around that time, leaving rookie second-round pick Maxime Raynaud to slow down Jokic. To nobody’s surprise, Denver’s superstar attacked that matchup, and when help arrived and crept over, he found Cameron Johnson or Peyton Watson to finish looks.
Before the quarter’s end, Precious Achiuwa had replaced Raynaud (who had also recorded a few personals). Facing a narrow 35-30 deficit after one, the Kings offense had managed 11 assists on 12 field-goals — a clear sign of their offensive rhythm.
Per usual, Jokic played the entire first quarter (aside from one defensive possession) and took a notable rest ot start the second. It’s the time teams have capitalized on in the past, but a familiar face, Jonas Valanciunas, has provided stability to their second unit. He did more of the same on Saturday night, taking his chances to attack Raynaud as well.
Sacramento’s defense was committing a few more fouls than they probably preferred, but their physicality left Denver complaining about no-calls on multiple occasions that they converted.
Dennis Schroder and DeMar DeRozan orchestrated a unit that included Malik Monk and hometown kid Nique Clifford.
But they mostly traded blows in the non-Jokic minutes, actually being outscored by two (19-17) in his first of two breaks. Denver held a 54-47 lead, and it was managing to keep that distance despite Sacramento’s efforts at a run.
LaVine converted a few tough shots, as did Schroder, as their ball movement and ability to force turnovers helped them stay afloat. Trailing 65-61 at the half, Sacramento had 13 points on nine Denver turnovers and 40 of their points from inside the painted area.
Jokic had 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 5-of-10 shooting while LaVine led his side with 13 points on 5-of-8 from the field.
Having limited their turnovers and opponent offensive rebounds, and with a nuclear performance from Jokic, Christie’s squad was well within striking range.
The tricky part was staying there through the third quarter, a frame that has haunted them throughout the early season. It seemed like Denver wanted to put it away there, compiling a 16-8 start to the third quarter by running the floor and playing through their star.
Denver had taken their largest lead of the night,
But rather than rolling over and calling it quits, the Kings punched back. More specifically, Keegan Murray threw some blows. A step-back middy followed back-to-back triples from him. One more Schroder catch-and-shoot three concluded a 10-0 Kings run to make it 81-77 Nuggets.
The Kings are battling in Denver 😤 pic.twitter.com/nCNAkwc4Kc
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 23, 2025
Schroder kept his foot on the gas from there, securing a bucket with 1:17 in the third, which gave the Kings their first lead since the opening quarter (89-88).
Down one headed into the final frame (91-91), it felt like momentum favored the road squad. This time around, they managed to capitalize on Jokic’s rest.
Monk’s transition and-one off a turnover capped off an 18-5 Sacramento run that left them with a 112-103 advantage and 6:19 left to play.
The clutch offense was the DeRozan show. Sacramento repeatedly ran actions to get him the ball around the nail, where he either found his own looks or found Westbrook to finish.
Familiar with the rims and crowd in Ball Arena from his season with the Nuggets last season, his tough floater gave the Kings a 123-117 lead with 36 seconds remaining.
It took just five seconds for Jokic to respond with a long-distance look of his own.
Once again, the Kings relied on DeRozan. He sized up his defender and walked into a mid-range and-one jump shot to all but secure his team’s first win in nine showings.
A few tense possessions later, and Sacramento had officially ended their eight-game skid with a 128-123 win over the Nuggets in Denver.
A tough Westbrook fall-away hammered that point home a few possessions later.
Brodie drains a BIG bucket 🪣 pic.twitter.com/ppO2yhwywI
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 23, 2025
The former fourth-overall selection recorded 19 points and five rebounds. He was one of six Kings players to tally double-digit points.
Dennis Schroder managed 21 points and seven assists off the bench while former Nugget Russell Westbrook added 21 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds. Fifteen of his points came in the final frame.
Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets, per usual, with a superstar line of 44 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists on 16/28 shooting.
Sacramento head coach Doug Christie often preaches for his team to defend, rebound, and share. Those keys were in full effect Saturday night as 13 Nuggets turnovers led to 20 points. With 32 assists and 62 points in the paint, their offensive success was apparent.
That concluded a five-game road trip for Sacramento (3-13), who return home to Golden 1 Center to face the Minnesota Timberwolves (also for the third time) on Monday night.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
With the Sacramento Kings entering what may be the early stages of a rebuild, many fans are wondering whether this would be the first rebuild of the Sacramento era.
It would not.
It’s understandable that fans and media alike would have forgotten the first one. It was so swift and successful, it didn’t feel like a rebuild at all. And given the circumstances, it was downright miraculous that the team pulled it off.
Geoff Petrie had been hired to be the General Manager of the Sacramento Kings in 1994, and along with Coach Garry St. Jean, guided them to 39 wins in each of his first two seasons, including a playoff trip in ’96. But by the time the 98-’99 season came around, the Kings had slipped back to also-ran status.
Reflecting on the Sacramento Kings’ successful rebuild. Could we see it again?
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Monday, November 24th – vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 7:00 PM PT
Wednesday, November 26th – vs. Phoenix Suns – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, November 28th – @ Utah Jazz – 6:30 PM PT
Sunday, November 30th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 6:00 PM PT
Saturday, November 22nd – @ Denver Nuggets – 7:00 PM PT
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