The Denver Nuggets are rolling, winners of three straight, and are looking to extend their winning streak further into the 2019 tonight against the Sacramento Kings. Even better, the Nuggets are getting healthier - Gary Harris made his return on Tuesday, and he and Paul Millsap are both off of the injury report completely.
Despite losing their last two games, the Kings are right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race with a 19-18 record and are well on pace to shatter their 2017-18 win total of just 27 victories. De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield are looking like the promising back court of the future for Sacramento, averaging 18.1 and 19.9 points respectively on the year. The Nuggets defeated the Kings handily in the fourth game of the season, but this game on the road will be no walk in the park.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (24-11) at Sacramento Kings (19-18)
When: 8:00 PM MT
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
How to watch: Altitude
Rival blog: Sactown Royalty
| Position | Denver | Sacramento | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| PG | Jamal Murray | De'Aaron Fox | Even |
| SG | Torrey Craig | Buddy Hield | Sacramento |
| SF | Juancho Hernangomez | Iman Shumpert | Nuggets |
| PF | Mason Plumlee | Nemanja Bjelica | Even |
| C | Nikola Jokic | Willie Cauley-Stein | Nuggets |
| Bench | Paul Millsap, Gary Harris, Monte Morris, Malik Beasley, Trey Lyles | Bogdan Bogdanovic, Justin Jackson, Yogi Ferrell, Frank Mason III | Nuggets |
*Lineups subject to change
Injury Report: Will Barton - out (hip), Isaiah Thomas - out (hip), Jarred Vanderbilt - out (foot), Michael Porter Jr - out (back); Marvin Bagley III - out (knee)
What to Watch For: Jamal Murray vs. Buddy Hield
This is a match up that might never get old. Of course, Hield was drafted one position in front of Murray and the two have been linked ever since. In the first match up this season, Murray bested Hield in the scoring department by putting up 19 compared to Hield’s five. Still, Hield is having a career year, averaging 19.9 points per game on 42.3% shooting from deep. Murray, too, is having his best scoring year (18.3 ppg) and has put up multiple 40-point performances. He’s been a key component to keeping Denver on top of the West within the last few weeks and will look to have another big night against Hield.
Spotlight on: Malik Beasley
Beasley is on a tremendous hot streak the past four games, averaging 20.3 points while shooting 50.2% from the field and 52.8% from three. He scored a career high 22 against the Spurs last week, then broke that mark on Tuesday against the Knicks when he put up a 23-6-5 night in the win. Beasley has been an excellent stopgap off the bench and has certainly made a case for himself to stay in the rotation as other players are coming back from injury.
Prediction: Denver 112 - Sacramento 105
The Nuggets are just an average road team and looked rusty on Tuesday trying to integrate Harris and Millsap back to the lineup - but still, they have found ways to win. Tonight will be no different.