{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
Sacramento 123, Denver 117
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 2, 2023
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Officials: #28 Mousa Dagher, #37 Eric Dalen, #24 Kevin Scott
Attendance: 17829

Malik Monk capped a 26-point performance off the bench with a critical 3-pointer with 1:12 to play Saturday night and the host Sacramento Kings overcame Nikola Jokic's eighth triple-double of the season for a 123-117 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

De'Aaron Fox (26 points, game-high 16 assists) and Domantas Sabonis (17 points, game-high 15 rebounds) chipped in with double-doubles for the Kings, who won for the third time in their last four games in their final tuneup before the NBA in-season tournament quarterfinals on Monday night.

Jokic had a game-high 36 points and team-highs in rebounds (13) and assists (14) for the Nuggets, who welcomed back Aaron Gordon from a heel injury but were without Jamal Murray for the second straight game due to a sprained right ankle.

After leading most of the way, Sacramento was up just 112-110 after Jokic hit a 3-pointer with 3:06 to go. Fox responded with a jumper and, after a scoreless 1:32, Monk nailed his back-breaking three for a 117-110 lead.

Seeking a fifth straight win, Denver got as close as 121-117 with five seconds left, but Fox iced the Sacramento victory with two free throws with 2.2 seconds to go.

The Nuggets trailed by as many as 17 points and were still down 108-95 with 5:58 remaining before making things interesting. Reggie Jackson and Gordon drilled 3-pointers in a 10-0 flurry that made it a three-point game with 4:10 to go, setting up the tight finish.

Monk and Kevin Huerter each had four 3-pointers and Fox added three on a night when the Kings shot 47.1 from beyond the arc and outscored the visitors 48-18 from distance.

Fox added three steals and Sabonis contributed seven assists, while Huerter finished with 16 points and Harrison Barnes scored 11.

Jokic's big night came on 13-for-23 shooting. The Nuggets lost despite hitting 49.5 percent of their shots, getting the better of the Kings (48.5 percent) in that category.

Jackson contributed 20 points and eight assists for the Nuggets, while Gordon had 17 points and seven rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. added 13 points and Christian Braun scored 11.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Denver   Sacramento
Nikola Jokic 36 Scoring De'Aaron Fox 26
Nikola Jokic 14 Assists De'Aaron Fox 16
Nikola Jokic 13 Rebounds Domantas Sabonis 15
Nikola Jokic 9 Free Throws Made Malik Monk 4
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 4 Steals De'Aaron Fox 3
Michael Porter Jr. 2 Blocks JaVale McGee 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Denver 117 49.5 6-25 13-20 35 46 7 9 11
Sacramento 123 48.5 16-34 11-15 33 47 5 7 11
Upcoming Games
  • Sacramento will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Kings have a W/L % of .636 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .667 after a loss.