The (21-11) Denver Nuggets will visit the (17-14) Sacramento Kings on Tuesday for a Western Conference showdown at Golden 1 Center. Kings star Domantas Sabonis (17.9 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 6.7 APG) is questionable for the matchup with a right hand injury, while Nuggets forward Jeff Green (7.5 PPG) is out with a fractured left hand.
Denver has won four consecutive and seven of its past eight. Sacramento has won three of its past five. The two teams have not met this season but will meet in consecutive games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Denver is one of, if not the, hottest teams in the league today. With recent wins over Memphis, Portland, and Phoenix, the Nuggets are for real. Star center Nikola Jokic has been the driving force, with several triple-double performances.
The Nuggets beat the Suns 128-125 in overtime on Christmas Day, with Jokic leading the way again (41 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists). His 83rd triple-double was just the fourth 40-point, 15-rebound, 15-assist game in the history of the NBA. Both teams shot 47.9 percent from the field, but Denver scored 52 points in the paint and 21 points off Suns turnovers. In the overtime period, Aaron Gordon stole the show with a thunderous dunk that gave the Nuggets a three-point lead.
DUNK OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/dUml31nzOf
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) December 26, 2022
This season, Denver is averaging 116.0 points per game and is shooting 50.5 percent from the floor, including 38.8 percent from three-point range. It's' offensive rating, adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced, is fifth-best in the NBA, and its effective field goal percentage is second-best, per Dunks and Threes. Jokic leads the team in scoring (25.4 PPG), but the Nuggets also rely on Jamal Murray (18.1 PPG) and Gordon (17.5 PPG).
Denver's defense is giving up 114.1 points per game, and their opponents are shooting 48.5 percent from the field, including 36.4 percent from long range. The Nuggets are ranked 25th in defensive rating, and their opponents have the third-highest effective field goal percentage this season. Denver boasts the third-highest assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86).
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