The Denver Nuggets host the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Dec 16, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) controls the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
By beating the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings secured their 10th win in the last 11 games but now head directly into a tough matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
The Kings and Nuggets have already met in Sacramento this season, where the Kings suffered a one-point loss due to a Jamal Murray game-winner.
Thursday’s matchup is in Denver, giving the Kings some fatigue on the second leg of a back-to-back in a different city. The Nuggets are on their own hot streak, winning seven of the last eight, and certainly have the rest advantage over a Kings squad rallying fresh off a grueling 16-point comeback on Wednesday.
Sabonis and DeRozan put up numbers in the Kings’ 18-point comeback vs. the Warriors 👑 pic.twitter.com/bhOWgxBZkV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 23, 2025
Each team has released their injury reports ahead of Thursday’s matchup in Denver:
Sacramento Kings:
None
Denver Nuggets:
Vlatko Cancar – OUT (knee)
DaRon Holmes II – OUT (achilles)
Both the Kings and Nuggets are extremely healthy heading into Thursday’s matchup, as fans can look forward to a couple of different marquee player matchups.
Two of the best big men, Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis, will go at it in Denver. Jokic is averaging 30.1 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.9 assists per game, putting together another MVP-caliber season. Sabonis is averaging 20.9 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, making his case for a fourth All-Star appearance.
Two of the most exciting guards, De’Aaron Fox and Jamal Murray, will also battle on Thursday. In their last meeting, Murray dropped 28 points and the game-winner midrange shot, while Fox had 29 of his own in a losing effort.
The Kings and Nuggets tip off at 6 p.m. PT in Denver on Thursday.