Playing without Domantas Sabonis (left hamstring) and with Malik Monk being a late scratch (right toe), the Kings looked to end their four-game road trip undefeated after a tough Western Conference battle.
Playing the Denver Nuggets in Ball Arena on Wednesday, they were far from healthy either without Aaron Gordon and Julian Strawther, the most notable unavailbilities.
Jonas Valanciunas and Keon Ellis stepped into the starting lineup as Keegan Murray and Jake LaRavia shared responsibilities slowing down three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Despite leading for most of the night, the Kings’ hooper heroics faded, ending their four-game win streak with a 116-110 loss in Denver to the third-seeded Nuggets.
DeRozan ended the night with 35 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 14/32 from the field, 4/6 from three, and just 3/4 from the free-throw line.
LaVine (20), Valanciunas (19), LaRavia (15), and Ellis (11) all finished in double-digits as the Kings offense looked eclectic until being held to 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Kings at Nuggets Game Notes
Playing in their final game of a four-game road trip, winners of their last five, the Sacramento Kings faced the impossible task of slowing down three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
To add to the challenge, interim head coach Doug Christie was without starters Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk.
With Jonas Valanciunas and Keon Ellis stepping into the starting lineup, the Kings elected to play atypical defensive positions.
Forward Keegan Murray was on Jokic, while Valanciunas helped off of Russell Westbrook. But it was a five-man defensive effort, digging into Denver’s offensive engine every time he had the ball, committing strong doubles, and switching.
It seemed to pay off early, while Ellis showed off his offensive skillset on the other end – he converted seven of Sacramento’s first 13 points.
Keon?!? He’s got seven quick points. pic.twitter.com/b03xFneQ7w
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 6, 2025
Owning a 16-8 lead by the first timeout at 7:35, the Nuggets started to find a rhythm. Altough, Jamal Murray did pick up his second personal foul, forcing coach Michael Malone to go with Jalen Pickett.
Sacramento’s Murray met a similar fate soon after. The first substitution inserted Markelle Fultz, Jake LaRavia, and Trey Lyles for Ellis, K. Murray, and Valanciunas.
LaRavia was next assigned to guard Jokic, and his teammates attempted to aid those efforts.
Since being traded from the Memphis Grizzlies, LaRavia has struggled to find his spot with the offense, but his defensive impact has been evident. Wednesday night in Denver, the forward wasted no time starting to knock them down.
LaVine found him for two catch-and-shoot triples in a few possessions. Forcing Jokic into a turnover at halfcourt, he found another bucket and more deep attempts.
LaRavia managed 11 points in his first four minutes of action. Sacramanto maintained their lead with conversions from DeRozan, LaVine, and Valanciunas throughout the process.
Jake LaRavia has 11 points in four minutes!! And he’s guarding Nikola Jokic! pic.twitter.com/Fs81QgXwap
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) March 6, 2025
The small-ball style survived against Jokic’s paint presence, knocking down a healthy percentage of their own on the other end.
LaRavia’s only downside was his fouling, eventually sitting down after tallying his third personal foul with roughly five minutes until halftime. Denver’s J. Murray followed his lead moments later.
Their fifth-ranked defense post All-Star break showed up in Ball Arena, holding the Nuggets to 55 points on 40.9 percent shooting in the first half.
Sacramento, meanwhile, were shooting 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from three (5/10) with 65 points. LaRavia led both teams with 15 points, Valanciunas had 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while DeRozan managed 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Coming into the third quarter, the Nuggets, NBA Champions just two seasons ago, were going to come back swinging. Bolstering the best transition offense in the league, Jokic helped them find a higher pace of play off misses.
Apparently, DeRozan was a focal point coming out of halftime as the elite isolation scorer attacked favorable mismatches, usually from the left baseline.
J. Murray, Porter Jr., and Russell Westbrook stood little chance as he took advantage to the point of 18 points in the frame.
DeMar DeRozan with 29 points and, for the 4th time this season, ties his season-high with 4 3-pointers this season.
More impressively, he’s moved into 27th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Patrick Ewing with 24,818 career points.
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) March 6, 2025
His efforts, while the entire Kings roster continued to battle to defend Jokic, led them to a nine-point lead (93-84) with 12 minutes remaining.
Resting to start the final frame, Jokic watched from the sideline as Denver went on a 12-2 run, getting thief first lead since the early moments with eight minutes remaining.
LaVine struggled to get rolling (10 points), but he was sure to involve his teammates without their typical starting point guard, Monk.
He converted a few, but DeRozan continued his hot streak in favorable isolation settings. As clutch time neared, the officials made plenty of calls (and non-calls), simmering the pace of the play.
Both sides didn’t shy away from vocalizing their frustrations, but it heavily favored Denver. The Kings’ overly physical style of play was being policed more strictly in the fourth while they struggled to create good shots.
Ellis fouled, allowing the hometown Nuggets to reach the bonus with 3:40 left. Jokic knocked down both free throws, extending the lead to 105-102.
LaRavia entered the game for Ellis, who had five personals. Looking to DeRozan and LaVine to take and make tough, contested off-the-dribble jumpers each time down the floor led to an inconsistent offensive stretch.
Having the reliability of Jokic, with Westbook, Nnaji, and J. Murray scoring in bunches, allowed the Nuggets to keep their lead.
Their hooper heroics faded, ending their four-game win streak with a 116-110 loss in Denver to the third-seeded Nuggets.
DeRozan ended the night with 35 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 14/32 from the field, 4/6 from three, and just 3/4 from the free-throw line.
Denver had a 30-14 advantage on free-throw attempts, something which seemed to lead to in-game frustrations from the Kings.
LaVine (20), Valanciunas (19), LaRavia (15), and Ellis (11) all finished in double-digits as the Kings offense looked eclectic until being held to 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Jokic tallied 22 points, 15 rebounds, and since assists while J. Murray (25) and Westbrook (24) combined for 49 points.
With plenty to be proud of in their 3-1 road trip that included wins over the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks, moral victories don’t help the standings, but positive momentum matters.
The Kings are coming back home, and they will host De’Aaron Fox and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at Golden 1 Center.
Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings
Friday, March 7th – vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, March 9th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 6:30 PM PT
Monday, March 10th – vs. New York Knicks – 7:30 PM PT
Thursday, March 13th – @ Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, March 14th – @ Phoenix Suns – 7:00 PM PT
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