News & Infos » Preview: Denver vs Sacramento, Thursday, January 3, 2019

The Sacramento Kings(cheap nba championship rings) couldn't stop an All-Star guard with the game on the line Tuesday night. It won't get any easier when they host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

Sacramento (19-18) is coming off a tough 113-108 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Kings failed to contain Portland guard Damian Lillard, who forced overtime with seven straight points at the end of the fourth quarter.

The next challenge is stopping Denver center Nikola Jokic, who is a nightmare matchup for any team. The Serbian notched his 19th career triple-double in a 115-108 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, when Denver took over in the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter has been good to Sacramento this season, but the Kings stumbled against the Trail Blazers when they had a chance to get a big win against a Western Conference opponent.

"We've just got to execute at the end of the game," Kings guard De'Aaron Fox told The Sacramento Bee after the loss.

Stopping Jokic will be tougher without rookie Marvin Bagley III. Bagley, who is averaging 12.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, has missed nine games with a bruised knee suffered against Golden State on Dec. 14 and will be out at least another week. Sacramento is 4-5 without him.

Denver (24-11), meanwhile, is getting healthier. Forward Paul Millsap(custom nba championship rings) has played two games since missing eight with a broken toe. He broke out against the Knicks, scoring 16 points and sparking a fourth-quarter run.

Guard Gary Harris missed 11 games with a hip injury before returning to the lineup on Tuesday. Normally a starter, he came off the bench and scored six points in 20 minutes.

The injury to Harris created opportunities for his teammates, and Malik Beasley has taken advantage. A second-round pick in 2014, Beasley has emerged as a go-to player off the bench this season. He scored a career-high 23 points and hit five 3-pointers in Tuesday's win.

"He's working hard on the defensive end," Denver coach Michael Malone said after Tuesday's win. "And what I'm most proud about, you look at his line: 23 points, 5 of 9 from 3, but five assists and six rebounds. That is a complete game."

Denver has had many complete games in what has become its best start in franchise history since joining the NBA. The Nuggets are atop the Western Conference standings in large part because of their 15-3 record at Pepsi Center. One of those wins came against Sacramento in October.

Now the Kings get a chance for payback in Sacramento(cheap championship rings).

The Kings are led by a young core that is learning to win under coach Dave Joerger. Sacramento has played well in fourth quarters this season, including a big rally to defeat Memphis on Dec. 21 and a game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 27. That marked the first time in three seasons Sacramento won a game at the buzzer.

"We feel like we're never out of a game," Joerger told The Sacramento Bee.