The Sacramento Kings are back at it on Saturday and will see a familiar opponent in the Denver Nuggets.

Thursday’s contest between the two teams was a pretty exciting and closely fought until Denver took control of the game in the final quarter.

In the first matchup, Domantas Sabonis was masterful, having his best game since coming to the team, scoring an efficient 33 points and filling up the stat sheet in every other conceivable way. The way he can impact every offensive possession, with his passing and screening, is a joy to watch.

For Sacramento to have a better result tonight, De’Aaron Fox will have to be a lot better than he was on Thursday. The stat line doesn’t look that bad in hindsight, but he was a -18 and just never seemed to any real rhythm. Fox has been wrapped up in some off court drama, recently, so hopefully that won’t affect him in a major way the rest of the season.

One thing that has to be a long term worry about Sacramento is their lack of defense, which was bad before the trade deadline and hasn’t gotten any better since the trade. The Kings have posted a 115.9 defensive rating in the five games with Sabonis.

Can the Kings ever be a good defense with their current core? It is a question that the Kings need to find the answer to the rest of the season.

Another thing to watch for on Saturday is whether we get to see old friend DeMarcus Cousins in action for Denver. Cousins just signed for the rest of the season on Friday, and is likely to see some back up center minutes tonight for the Nuggets.

Oh, and the Nuggets have a reigning MVP who is once again playing at an incredible level.

After Saturday’s contest, there will only be 20 games remaining in the season, so if the Kings really want to make the play-in tournament, then the winning has to happen sometime soon.

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

Opposing Perspective: Denver Stiffs

SAC injuries/absences: Terence Davis – Out (Wrist), Richaun Holmes – Questionable (Back)

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