Denver Nuggets guard Bones Hyland (3) guards Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Wed Dec 28, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Wednesday night in Sacramento. It was the second night of a back-to-back in which they played the Denver Nuggets both times. It is rare to have a team in your building for back-to-back games, but that is what happened this year with the Nuggets.

The Kings left a lot to be wished for in the first game. The Kings had a solid first quarter, but it was all downhill after that point. The Kings ended up losing the game 113-106. On Wednesday, the Kings looked to get revenge at 7 PM PST inside Golden One Center. The Kings edged out a close one on Wednesday night 127-126.

In the first quarter, things went right for the Kings. The Nuggets offense came out in full force as the Kings defense had no answer. The Nuggets dropped 40 points in the first quarter to start the game right where they left off on Tuesday. On the other hand, the Kings were only able to score 24 points to dig themselves an early lead. Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola were hurting the Kings early in the game.

In the second quarter, it was a tough road for the Kings. They started the quarter down 16 points and ended the quarter down 13 points. Injured Domantas Sabonis was playing well, all things considered. The Kings just couldn’t seem to contain the Nuggets offensive outburst.

The Kings kept it close in the second quarter and gave themselves a shot at a comeback in the second half. For the Kings to come back, they would need to get a big performance from Fox in the second half and contain the Nuggets on offense. Could the Kings pull it off on the second night of a back-to-back?

The Kings needed a quick start in the third quarter to tighten the gap with the Nuggets. They got just that. The Kings needed and got solid minutes to cut down the Nuggets deficit to only seven points. Would that hold? No.

The Kings would falter a bit more in the ending minutes of the third and would only outscore the Nuggets 32-30 in the third. The Kings had cut the deficit to 11 points through three quarters, but they would need a miracle fourth quarter to win the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings would have just that, a miracle fourth quarter. The Kings came all the way back from double digit deficits all game long to outscore the Nuggets 33-21 in the final 12 minutes. It was an incredible comeback to defy the odds against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

The Kings managed to defeat the Nuggets 127-126 in a thriller. The Nuggets got an MVP level performance from Nikola Jokic who scored 40 points. For the Kings, De’Aaron Fox and Domas had 31 points behind leader Malik Monk who had 33 points.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Utah Jazz on Friday at 7 PM PST.