SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (30-26) will play their final game before the NBA All-Star break in Denver on Wednesday. Feb. 13.
The Nuggets (38-18) currently hold the second seed in the Western Conference playoff standings while the Kings occupy the eighth spot, tied with the L.A. Clippers. The Kings are looking to avoid the regular season series sweep after dropping the previous two contests against the Denver Nuggets so far this season.
The Kings are coming off a 117-104 win over the Phoenix Suns at Golden 1 Center on Sunday, Feb. 10., giving Sacramento its sixth win in its last eight contests. The Kings' last win marked a career-night for rookie forward Marvin Bagley III who scored a game-high 32 points off the bench while pulling down seven rebounds against his hometown team.
In their last meeting against the Nuggets, the Kings held a 13-point lead at home by halftime, but fell short in a 117-113 loss. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray powered his team to a comeback win by scoring 17 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter of the contest, extending Denver's winning streak against Sacramento to three games.
Former Sacramento Kings draft pick Isaiah Thomas is set to make his season debut for Denver against his former team at the Pepsi Center. Thomas was the last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, earning him the nickname "Mr. Irrelevant," and spent three seasons in Sacramento from 2011-2014. The veteran guard underwent a season-ending hip procedure in March 2018 before signing a one-year, $2 million deal with the Nuggets in July 2018.
Another Kings connection in this game, of course, is former Kings head coach Mike Malone, who has been at the helm in Denver since 2015. Malone was fired from his head coaching position with the Sacramento Kings in December 2014 after a surprising start to the season was suddenly halted.
You can watch the Kings take on the Nuggets in Denver on NBC Sports California with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST with tip-off set for 6 p.m. PST. While some Kings players will be participating in the All-Star Weekend festivities in Charlotte, NC, most of the team will be enjoying a break before making a playoff push to end a 12-season long postseason drought.
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Every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Lina & Sean will be discussing all things Sacramento Kings and other NBA news.