For the fourth and final time this season (and the third time in two weeks,) the Sacramento Kings will face the surging Denver Nuggets with high hopes to bounce back after a bad loss to New York on Monday night. Tonight’s action will feature the return of DeMarcus Cousins to Golden 1 Center, who despite having been traded from the Kings for a little over five years ago has only played in Sacramento one time.

Cousins has been a great addition to the Nuggets, serving as a back up to center to the arugable MVP in Nikola Jokic. In the absence of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray, the Joker has carried his team alongside an interesting cast of role players to keep them in the Western Conference playoff conversation.

Sacramento have been a bummer as of late – dropping two 20-point leads in consecutive contests has been frustrating and frankly embarrassing to watch play out. Denver is a serious contender in the West, and giving up two games to a Luka-less Mavs team and an underperforming Knicks squad did nothing to help Sacramento’s case to make the play-in. At this point in the season, Kings brass should seriously consider reading the chemistry on the floor, experimenting with line-ups and making decisions as to who on the current roster deserves an extended audition and who will not be returning. And now with no Sabonis – as he serves his one-game suspension for ejection vs. New York on Monday night – things seem even more bleak than before. As the schedule gets more difficult, the play-in push seems less of a goal and more of a wish.

How to Watch/Listen: NBC Sports California, Sports 1140 KHTK

Opposing Perspective: Denver Stiffs

SAC injuries/absences: Domantas Sabonis – Out (Suspension), Terence Davis – Out (Wrist), Richaun Holmes – Out (Personal), Jeremy Lamb – Questionable (Hip), Moe Harkless – Questionable (Ankle)

DEN injuries/absences: Jamal Murray – Out (Knee), Michael Porter Jr. – Out (Spine), Vlatko Cancar – Out (Foot), Will Barton – Questionable (Ankle), Bones Hyland – Questionable (Knee) (Zeke Nnaji – Probable (Knee)

Spread: Nuggets -6, Kings +6

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