Apr 9, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) pokes the ball away from Denver Nuggets heart Nikola Jokic (15) through the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Heart. Obligatory Credit score: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Photos
A day faraway from the shock firing of coach Michael Malone, the Denver Nuggets pulled out of a four-game shedding streak with a 124-116 highway win over the Sacramento Kings within the NBA on Wednesday.
Denver (48-32), enjoying its first sport beneath interim coach David Adelman, led nearly all the approach in a sport essential for the Nuggets’ postseason positioning. The previous shedding streak dropped the Nuggets from third place within the Western Convention right into a four-team cluster of groups that each one went into the Wednesday slate with an identical 47-32 information.
READ: NBA: Nuggets hearth head coach Michael Malone, gained’t prolong GM
The Nuggets are actually tied for fourth with the Los Angeles Clippers (48-32), a sport behind the Los Angeles Lakers (49-31) and simply in entrance of the Memphis Grizzlies (47-32) and the Golden State Warriors (47-33).
Nikola Jokic furthered his pursuit of changing into simply the third participant ever to common a triple-double for a season, posting 20 factors, 12 rebounds and 11 assists vs. Sacramento (39-41).
Denver Nuggets Head Coach David Adelman, proper, reacts after Sacramento Kings rating through the first half of an NBA basketball sport Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Sacramento, California. (AP Photograph/Sara Nevis)
Though it was a muted scoring efficiency for the 30-point-per-game-averaging Jokic, who shot 5-for-12 from the ground, he got here up clutch late, muscling by way of a double-team to make a contested floater.
Jokic then discovered Jalen Pickett on Denver’s subsequent journey down the ground for a basket, serving to the Nuggets reply a late Kings rally effort.
READ: NBA: Nuggets hope to snap out of funk with playoffs looming
Sacramento trailed by as many as 16 factors however battled again to tug inside 4 with 4 minutes remaining. Zach LaVine, who scored a game-high 27 factors, keyed the Kings’ push.
LaVine shot 4-for-8 from 3-point vary and teammate Keon Ellis knocked down 6 of 11 from past the arc on the best way to twenty factors. That duo and DeMar DeRozan (22 factors) gave Sacramento an opportunity down the stretch.
Denver’s clutch buckets have been an excessive amount of for the Kings to beat, nonetheless. Michael Porter Jr. hit a 3-pointer beneath duress because the shot clock was winding right down to bump the Nuggets’ lead again to seven with 3:41 to go.
The triple was a part of a 21-point sport for Porter.
Pickett added one other crunch-time rating, a 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining for a 12-point lead. Pickett shot 5-for-7 from exterior on the best way to 18 factors — the bottom level complete from any of Denver’s beginning 5.
Your subscription couldn’t be saved. Please strive once more.
Your subscription has been profitable.
Christian Braun completed with a team-high 25 factors, 16 of which got here within the first half. Aaron Gordon scored 21 factors, with 10 coming within the first quarter. –Discipline Degree Media
