Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) forward tries to defend the Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in first half action at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Fri Feb 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night at Golden One Center in Sacramento. The Kings had last played on Wednesday night when they took on the Detroit Pistons. The Kings would fall to the Pistons and give them just their seventh win of the season, 133-120.

On Friday, the Kings looked for a different outcome against one of the best teams in the NBA as they welcomed the Denver Nuggets. Denver was on the second night of a back-to-back as tip-off was set for 7 PM PST. The Kings defeated the Thunder 135-106 on Friday night.

The Kings and Nuggets got off to a quick start in the first quarter. Offense was in good shape, as the two teams both started hot. The Nuggets outscored the Kings 35-32 in the first quarter. However, Nikola Jokic would hurt himself and return to the locker room. The Kings would look to tighten up the defense in the second quarter.

Jokic returned from his brief injury in the second quarter and is healthy. The Kings offense exploded in the second quarter as they scored 35 points. On the other hand, the Kings defense was also much better in the second quarter, as they held the Nuggets to only 22 points.

The Kings led the Nuggets 67-57 heading into halftime. It was the battle of the two bigs as Sabonis and Jokic each led their teams with 13 and 14 first-half points, respectively.

The Kings offense kept firing on all cylinders in the third quarter, carrying over from the first half. The Kings scored 39 points in the third quarter to build on the first-half lead. The Nuggets looked tired on the second night of a back-to-back and scored 29 points in the third. Ultimately, the Kings were just playing better all-around basketball. The Kings would go into the final quarter up 106-86.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings largely subbed out the starters, and it was garbage time for the bench. The Kings bench unit still put up big numbers as the Kings outscored the Nuggets 29-20 in the fourth. The Kings would win the game 135-106. Malik Monk led The Kings in victory, scoring 23 points. Jokic led the Nuggets with a 23-point game of his own.

Up Next: The Kings remain home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at noon PST.