Through 3 Quarters
Only one more quarter stands between the Denver Nuggets and the win they were favored to collect going into this night. Three quarters in and their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Sacramento Kings 96-85.
Center Nikola Jokic has led the way so far for the Nuggets, as he has 28 points and six assists in addition to seven boards and two blocks. A double-double would be Jokic’s seventh in a row.
Sacramento has been relying on center Alex Len, who has 18 points along with six rebounds, and point guard De’Aaron Fox, who has 24 points and four assists in addition to five boards.
Sacramento has lost 88% of the time when they were down heading into the fourth quarter this year, so this one seems just about wrapped up
Who’s Playing
Sacramento @ Denver
Current Records: Sacramento 16-24; Denver 18-18
What to Know
The Denver Nuggets haven’t won a matchup against the Sacramento Kings since Dec. 29 of 2019, but they’ll be looking to end the drought on Friday. The Nuggets will play host again and welcome Sacramento to Ball Arena, where tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. Denver is out to stop a four-game streak of losses at home.
Denver was within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap on Wednesday as they fell 115-109 to the Utah Jazz. A silver lining for Denver was the play of center Nikola Jokic, who dropped a triple-double on 26 points, 21 boards, and 11 assists.
Meanwhile, Sacramento was within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap on Wednesday as they fell 108-102 to the Atlanta Hawks. One thing holding the Kings back was the mediocre play of power forward Harrison Barnes, who did not have his best game: he finished with only eight points on 3-for-10 shooting in his 29 minutes on the court.
The Nuggets are the favorite in this one, with an expected 8-point margin of victory. Now might not be the best time to take Denver against the spread since they’ve let down bettors for the past two consecutive games.
The losses put Denver at 18-18 and Sacramento at 16-24. Denver is 8-9 after losses this season, Sacramento 9-14.
How To Watch
- When: Friday at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Ball Arena — Denver, Colorado
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $14.49
Odds
The Nuggets are a big 8-point favorite against the Kings, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 7.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Denver and Sacramento both have ten wins in their last 20 games.
- Feb 06, 2021 – Sacramento 119 vs. Denver 114
- Dec 29, 2020 – Sacramento 125 vs. Denver 115
- Dec 23, 2020 – Sacramento 124 vs. Denver 122
- Dec 29, 2019 – Denver 120 vs. Sacramento 115
- Nov 30, 2019 – Sacramento 100 vs. Denver 97
- Oct 28, 2019 – Denver 101 vs. Sacramento 94
- Feb 13, 2019 – Denver 120 vs. Sacramento 118
- Jan 03, 2019 – Denver 117 vs. Sacramento 113
- Oct 23, 2018 – Denver 126 vs. Sacramento 112
- Mar 11, 2018 – Denver 130 vs. Sacramento 104
- Jan 06, 2018 – Sacramento 106 vs. Denver 98
- Nov 20, 2017 – Denver 114 vs. Sacramento 98
- Oct 21, 2017 – Denver 96 vs. Sacramento 79
- Mar 11, 2017 – Denver 105 vs. Sacramento 92
- Mar 06, 2017 – Denver 108 vs. Sacramento 96
- Feb 23, 2017 – Sacramento 116 vs. Denver 100
- Jan 03, 2017 – Sacramento 120 vs. Denver 113
- Apr 02, 2016 – Sacramento 115 vs. Denver 106
- Feb 23, 2016 – Sacramento 114 vs. Denver 110
- Feb 19, 2016 – Sacramento 116 vs. Denver 110
Injury Report for Denver
- Aaron Gordon: Game-Time Decision (Illness)
- Nah’Shon Hyland: Game-Time Decision (Illness)
- Zeke Nnaji: Game-Time Decision (Covid-19)
- Petr Cornelie: Out (Covid-19)
- Markus Howard: Out (Knee)
- Jamal Murray: Out (Knee)
- Vlatko Cancar: Out (Foot)
- Michael Porter Jr.: Out for the Season (Back)
- PJ Dozier: Out for the Season (Knee)
Injury Report for Sacramento
- Terence Davis: Game-Time Decision (Ankle)
- Richaun Holmes: Out (Covid-19)
- Chimezie Metu: Out (Covid-19)