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Kings vs. Nuggets Preview: Mile High and Lightyears Away

The Kings are in Denver to take on the reigning MVP and another squad devastated by injury.
By | 28 Comments | Jan 7, 2022

After what would be considered an incredibly disappointing loss to the Hawks by a less numb fanbase, the Sacramento Kings continue their epic journey into the lower middle portion of the standings in Denver where they have to take on Nikola Jokic and a team still trying to get over the injury bug (and a few other bugs for that matter). Tune in to see if the Kings ant crawl toward the post-season continues to back slide! Watch in amazement as they find new ways to torture souls long dead to their misfortunes! Gasp in awe as they give their head coach a coronary sometime during the middle of the third quarter!

Let’s talk Kings basketball!

When: Friday, January 7th, 6:00 PM PT

Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO

TV: NBCSCA -Kyle Draper (play-by-play)

RadioKHTK Sports 1140 AM

For Your Consideration

A Running Jok’: On a micro scale, the Sacramento Kings are always going to make things less than easy to prognosticate or even discuss, and the regular slew of injuries being tossed into the overwhelming salad of COVID cases can at times, take any regular rhythm of discussion about opposing teams and throw it right out the window. Suddenly, I long for the days of playing the same old Clippers team for the third time in two months with a single Reggie Jackson foot injury or something to contend with. It was repetitive sure, but semi predictable and workable. Even with heavily injured teams, you knew who was going to be playing for a good long minute. I’m old and worn down by the slew of people to keep up with during these hardship exception contracts, and as fun as it is to see guys that used to come off my bench in 2k13 get another shot in the league, my inclination is always to throw out the attempts at regular discussion and let loose with whatever the ol’ heart wants every game. Which is usually a blood sacrifice and thus, my third choice, jibber-jabber, is the main ticket.

Not today.

The Nuggets have gifted me with something resembling regular right now, so we’re making due today baby! Just regular injuries to star players to worry about? Let’s go!

The Nuggets come into tonight’s game owners of the 7th seed in the Western Conference and hot on the Lakers tails for 6th and hoping to avoid a three game losing streak for only the second time this season… or… third time? They lost six somewhere during the second half of November and I have no idea how to count th- REGARDLESS, they’re very good at stay away from extended losing streaks of any kind and well, losing to the Kings would make it one. This team is obviously playing at a huge loss: second best player and current Denver Injury List champion Jamal Murray is still recovering from his torn ACL without any timetable for a return. On top of that, the former future 2018 #2 pick Michael Porter Jr. is out for the season after back surgery right off of signing a massive max rookie extension his season is done and worry has got to be setting in around the fanbase and front office about just how much this is going to hamstring the team around MVP Nikola Jokic in the near future. From everything I’ve read, Jokic seems amenable without any sense of demands or worry about his long-term legacy, so the Nuggets do have some space and time to thread the needle on these potential issues going forward.

For the team that has been able to show up this season, the Nuggets are playing, well, like a discount Nuggets team. They don’t score much, only 23rd in the league in scoring, and they don’t hurry their way down the court, just 24th in pace, but they’re 10th in the NBA in opponent points per game and 16th in defensive rating. They’re not vipers, they’re constrictors. Outside of that, they vascillate from decent to meh in pretty much every statistical category. They the second worst team in the league in both blocks and total rebounds, they’re 18th in steals, bottom third in the league in opponent field goal percentage… the opportunities for the Kings will absolutely be there tonight. On the offensive end, they’re the third best team in the league in two point percentage at 55.1% per game, but they attempt the 10th least from inside the arc. Add on top of this that they take the least amount of free throws in the league and are a bottom 10 three point shooting team to boot… you can see they’re sitting right about where they should be right now.

Does that mean Jokic has dropped off after winning his MVP? Hell no. The guy has been brilliant for the Nuggets. Without him, I’m confident in saying they’d plummet to one of the very worst teams in the NBA. The man has followed up his MVP season with a 25.7 points, 14.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game output and it absolutely blows my mind every time I think about it. He, himself, alone is capable of beating the Sacramento Kings tonight. If the Kings come out like they did against the Hawks… I’ll go on record and say, he probably will.

 

Prediction

Someone on the Kings is going for 40, Bones Hyland is going for 25 and Facundo Campazzo does two things that really excite and one that leaves you absolute flaberghasted by how dumb it was.

Kings: 114, Nuggets: 108

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RobHessing
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January 7, 2022 1:22 pm

Kings hit the halfway point today – let’s see how hard it hits back.

“Fun” fact for today –

Phoenix Suns 19-63
Chicago Bulls 22-60
Sacramento Kings 39-43

Those were the season-ending records of the 2018-19 season. Fast forwarding to today, two of those three teams are leading their respective conference-

Phoenix Suns 30-8 (prorates to 65-17)
Chicago Bulls 25-10 (59-23)
Sacramento Kings 16-24 (33-49)

That’s…something.

Last edited 2 years ago by RobHessing
andy_sims
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January 7, 2022 1:28 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

I can’t seem to recall if any of those other teams hired Luke Walton after that season. Based on the improvement, I’m gonna say no.

RandyBreuersNeckHair
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January 7, 2022 1:41 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

Ah, yes. Walton’s fault.

Carl
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January 7, 2022 1:54 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

New coach similar result, though I like him 10X more. Walton was a problem, but the biggest problem is talent.

andy_sims
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January 7, 2022 2:49 pm
Reply to  Carl

That’s invariably the case, but Walton did worse with essentially the same roster.

“Here’s the plan: We’ll take the fastest guy in the league, and bog him down in poorly conceived halfcourt sets.”

I seem to recall we went to the WCF finals that year.

Rosevillain
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January 7, 2022 3:49 pm
Reply to  Carl

But the roster is in a good place. And this is a playoff team. Monte said so.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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Nostradumbass 14
January 7, 2022 4:08 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Those two teams represent how the salary cap, lottery, and draft are supposed to work. Teams are supposed to be cyclical from good to bad and back to good. The Kings, unfortunately, have yet to figure that out.

Kings-Rebuild
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January 7, 2022 5:02 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Yeah I was just thinking a few days ago how many teams a few years ago were in worse shape than the Kings in terms of roster, cap space and draft capital. All of those teams are in better shape now than the Kings. Add Charlotte to the list.

BestHyperboleEver
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January 7, 2022 5:49 pm
Reply to  Kings-Rebuild

Mostly because they’ve, you know, done SOMETHING.

TerzoM
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January 7, 2022 1:26 pm

Your Sacramenclock Kings
comment image

RobHessing
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January 7, 2022 3:53 pm
Reply to  TerzoM

“Stop the clock!!!”comment image

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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January 7, 2022 4:09 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Too perfect. This had better be purple before tipoff.

andy_sims
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January 7, 2022 1:26 pm

Always a treat to watch Jokic operate an offense, even one that’s missing some big scorers.

AnybodyButBagley
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January 7, 2022 1:41 pm

Jokic is going to own this team.

If for some miraculous reason Jokic has to sit out….some random bench player is going to own this team.

Kosta
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January 7, 2022 1:48 pm

Look at how big Denver is favored to win, even while having more injuries:
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RobHessing
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January 7, 2022 1:51 pm
Reply to  Kosta

Rocky Mountain bias.

1951
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January 7, 2022 2:10 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

They are going to kick the Kings in the Rocky Mountain Oysters.

RobHessing
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January 7, 2022 2:15 pm
Reply to  1951

comment image

Jman1949
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January 7, 2022 1:50 pm

We swept Denver’s Nuggets last year
Now their injury luck’s been severe,
But the way the Kings play
Little chance we can say
There’ll be reasons for Kings fans to cheer!

1951
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January 7, 2022 2:09 pm

Good news. Kings are calling up their best player.

https://twitter.com/SactownAnthony/status/1479574226210156545

TerzoM
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January 7, 2022 2:43 pm

Kyle and Kayte: Kings healthy players struggled tonight because Denver’s G-Leaguers are used to playing at high altitude

Last edited 2 years ago by TerzoM
TheKingsGuard
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January 7, 2022 3:57 pm
Reply to  TerzoM

Sorry TerzoM, pretty sure Kayte will bring up the good ole, “The Kings are struggling because they don’t have film on any of these G leaguers…..” but problem is Kayte….there is film on G league games! I do think Kayte’s career and delivery has grown a bunch over the years, but lately she’s been spitting way too much homer excuse non-sense. It’s ok to say it’s not acceptable for a team striving for the playoffs to lose to the Hawks-lite and maybe this team isn’t as talented as you keep telling us.

Last edited 2 years ago by TheKingsGuard
rockbottom
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January 7, 2022 5:28 pm
Reply to  TheKingsGuard

Kayte just talks too much and Kyle is almost one tenth as good as Jim Kozemor! Makes watching a bad team almost impossible ! Sad that G- Man is out but Jason Ross is a treasure considering the alternative !

RPO
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RPO
January 7, 2022 4:10 pm

The games themselves don’t really feel like they mean anything anymore. This team will lose a ton more games than it’ll win, but lose not quite enough games to compete with the intentional tankers for good pong balls. Same shit as the past several years. Not even sure what the point of being a fan is anymore.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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January 7, 2022 4:14 pm
Reply to  RPO

To hit refresh on Twitter to see if Monte has woken from his nap and made some moves?

Carl
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January 7, 2022 6:00 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

Hey Monte, you awake over there?

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Last edited 2 years ago by Carl
RobHessing
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January 7, 2022 4:14 pm
Reply to  RPO

It beats having to completely redecorate my office?

SexyNapear
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January 7, 2022 7:23 pm

Give Queta some minutes. I mean, why the hell not?

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