Kings overcome Jokic's 8th triple-double of the season, beat Nuggets 123-117
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) De’Aaron Fox had 26 points and a career-high 16 assists, Malik Monk made a clutch 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter and the Sacramento Kings beat the Denver Nuggets 123-117 on Saturday night to spoil Nikola Jokic’s NBA-leading eighth triple-double.
The Kings led comfortably most of the might before Denver made its best run of the night to get to 112-110 with four minutes left on Jokic’s only 3-pointer of the game.
Fox then made a contested jumper in the key, before Monk’s corner 3-pointer with 1:11 helped seal it as chants of “Light the beam! Light the beam” broke out inside Golden 1 Center.
“Fantastic, fantastic night from our best player when we needed it the most,” Kings coach Mike Brown said about Fox. “He has to step up in games like this for us to win.”
Jokic finished with 36 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds, the 114th career triple-double for Denver’s big man. The rest of the NBA had eight triple-doubles combined going into the night.
“You’re never going to stop (Jokic) with just one guy. A lot of times, even with the whole team, you probably won’t stop him,” Fox said. “You just want to make sure the other guys don’t really get it going. When they do, it’s pretty much pick your poison with that team.”
Monk scored 26 points. Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.
Reggie Jackson scored 20 points for the Nuggets, who looked much crisper on offense with Aaron Gordon back in the lineup after missing four games with a right heel sprain. Gordon had 17 points and seven rebounds.
It wasn’t enough as the Kings ended the Nuggets’ hopes of winning a third consecutive road game for the first time since the playoffs last season.
“I think our fifth game in seven nights had a lot to do with it,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. “We lost the game in the second quarter. That’s where the game got away.”
Jokic gave the Nuggets an early boost with 16 points in the first quarter as Denver led 30-25.
When Jokic went to the bench in the second quarter, the Kings went on a 17-4 run punctuated by Monk’s drive and pass to JaVale McGee for an easy dunk.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: At Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Kings: Host New Orleans on Monday night in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Nikola Jokic vs. Domantas Sabonis (Kevin Huerter gains possession) | ||
| 11:44 | | De'Aaron Fox misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:42 |  | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 11:23 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:20 | | De'Aaron Fox defensive rebound | ||
| 11:12 | | Nikola Jokic shooting foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 11:12 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 0-1 |
| 11:12 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 0-2 |
| 10:58 | | Kevin Huerter blocks Michael Porter Jr.'s two point driving layup | ||
| 10:55 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 10:51 | | Nikola Jokic blocks Domantas Sabonis's two point running layup | ||
| 10:48 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 10:44 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point running layup | 2-2 |
| 10:32 | | +3 | Kevin Huerter makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 2-5 |
| 10:22 | | Domantas Sabonis personal foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 10:15 | | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point pullup bank jump shot | 4-5 |
| 9:51 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 4-7 |
| 9:38 | | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point alley-oop layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 6-7 |
| 9:30 | | Keegan Murray misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:26 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 9:09 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:05 | | De'Aaron Fox defensive rebound | ||
| 8:54 | | Kevin Huerter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:51 | | Reggie Jackson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:48 | | Domantas Sabonis kicked ball violation | ||
| 8:34 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point turnaround hook shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 8-7 |
| 8:34 | | De'Aaron Fox shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 8:34 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 9-7 |
| 8:12 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (lost ball) (Reggie Jackson steals) | ||
| 7:58 | | Nikola Jokic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:55 | | Kevin Huerter defensive rebound | ||
| 7:52 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point running dunk (Kevin Huerter assists) | 9-9 |
| 7:31 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving finger roll layup (Reggie Jackson assists) | 11-9 |
| 7:19 | | Harrison Barnes misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:15 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:08 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving hook shot (Aaron Gordon assists) | 13-9 |
| 7:02 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (bad pass) (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steals) | ||
| 7:02 | | Harrison Barnes shooting foul (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope draws the foul) | ||
| 7:02 | | +1 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 14-9 |
| 7:02 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:02 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 6:58 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:47 | | Domantas Sabonis misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:43 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 6:28 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:24 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 6:18 | | +3 | Kevin Huerter makes three point pullup jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 14-12 |
| 5:51 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope turnover (bad pass) (Kevin Huerter steals) | ||
| 5:46 | | Domantas Sabonis misses two point running layup | ||
| 5:45 | | Harrison Barnes offensive rebound | ||
| 5:45 | | +2 | Harrison Barnes makes two point tip layup | 14-14 |
| 5:32 | | Aaron Gordon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:30 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 5:22 | | Keegan Murray misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:18 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 5:15 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:12 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 5:05 | | Domantas Sabonis misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:03 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 4:55 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point cutting layup (Aaron Gordon assists) | 16-14 |
| 4:41 | | +2 | Harrison Barnes makes two point reverse layup (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 16-16 |
| 4:24 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:22 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 4:21 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point putback layup | ||
| 4:17 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 4:13 | | Aaron Gordon blocks Harrison Barnes's two point cutting layup | ||
| 4:13 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 4:00 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:54 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point floating jump shot (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists) | 18-16 |
| 3:42 | | Kevin Huerter turnover (double dribble) | ||
| 3:24 | | Julian Strawther misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:21 | | Kevin Huerter defensive rebound | ||
| 3:17 | | Malik Monk misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 3:17 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 3:04 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving floating jump shot (Peyton Watson assists) | 20-16 |
| 3:04 | | Keon Ellis shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 3:04 | | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 21-16 |
| 2:56 | | +3 | Domantas Sabonis makes three point jump shot (Keon Ellis assists) | 21-19 |
| 2:33 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point turnaround hook shot | 23-19 |
| 2:21 | | Peyton Watson blocks Domantas Sabonis's two point cutting layup | ||
| 2:21 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 2:08 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point floating jump shot (Christian Braun assists) | 25-19 |
| 1:53 | | Malik Monk turnover (bad pass) (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steals) | ||
| 1:50 | | Trey Lyles shooting foul (Peyton Watson draws the foul) | ||
| 1:50 | | +1 | Peyton Watson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-19 |
| 1:50 | | +1 | Peyton Watson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-19 |
| 1:35 | | De'Aaron Fox misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:33 | | Justin Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 1:30 | | Christian Braun misses two point running reverse layup | ||
| 1:29 | | DeAndre Jordan offensive rebound | ||
| 1:29 | | DeAndre Jordan misses two point tip layup | ||
| 1:28 | | Sasha Vezenkov defensive rebound | ||
| 1:24 | | +3 | Malik Monk makes three point running jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 27-22 |
| 1:09 | | Christian Braun misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:08 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 1:08 | | JaVale McGee personal foul (Loose ball) (Julian Strawther draws the foul) | ||
| 1:08 | | Julian Strawther misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:08 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 1:08 | | +1 | Julian Strawther makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-22 |
| 0:59 | | +3 | Malik Monk makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 28-25 |
| 0:44 | | +2 | Christian Braun makes two point driving layup | 30-25 |
| 0:44 | | JaVale McGee defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 0:37 | | Malik Monk misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:36 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 0:32 | | Jump ball. DeAndre Jordan vs. JaVale McGee (Christian Braun gains possession) | ||
| 0:27 | | Justin Holiday misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 0:27 | | Kings defensive rebound | ||
| 0:06 | | Peyton Watson blocks De'Aaron Fox's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:01 | | Christian Braun defensive rebound | ||
| 0:01 | | Christian Braun misses two point driving layup | ||
| 0:00 | | JaVale McGee defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:35 | | JaVale McGee blocks DeAndre Jordan's two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 11:35 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 11:35 | | Nuggets turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 11:27 | | +2 | Trey Lyles makes two point cutting layup (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 30-27 |
| 11:06 | | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point pullup jump shot | 32-27 |
| 10:55 | | +2 | Trey Lyles makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 32-29 |
| 10:30 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:27 | | Trey Lyles defensive rebound | ||
| 10:25 | | Justin Holiday personal foul (JaVale McGee draws the foul) | ||
| 10:18 | | +3 | Sasha Vezenkov makes three point stepback jump shot (Trey Lyles assists) | 32-32 |
| 10:02 | | JaVale McGee blocks Reggie Jackson's two point driving hook shot | ||
| 9:59 | | JaVale McGee defensive rebound | ||
| 9:52 | | Justin Holiday shooting foul (Sasha Vezenkov draws the foul) | ||
| 9:52 | | Sasha Vezenkov misses regular free throw 1 of 3 | ||
| 9:52 | | Kings offensive rebound | ||
| 9:52 | | Sasha Vezenkov misses regular free throw 2 of 3 | ||
| 9:52 | | Kings offensive rebound | ||
| 9:52 | | +1 | Sasha Vezenkov makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 32-33 |
| 9:38 | | DeAndre Jordan misses two point alley-oop dunk | ||
| 9:36 | | De'Aaron Fox defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point running layup (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 32-35 |
| 9:34 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:17 | | +2 | DeAndre Jordan makes two point dunk | 34-35 |
| 8:52 | | Malik Monk misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:46 | | JaVale McGee offensive rebound | ||
| 8:46 | | +2 | JaVale McGee makes two point tip layup | 34-37 |
| 8:31 | | DeAndre Jordan misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 8:31 | | DeAndre Jordan offensive rebound | ||
| 8:31 | | Trey Lyles shooting foul (DeAndre Jordan draws the foul) | ||
| 8:31 | | DeAndre Jordan misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 8:31 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 8:31 | | DeAndre Jordan misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 8:27 | | JaVale McGee defensive rebound | ||
| 8:15 | | +3 | De'Aaron Fox makes three point jump shot (Malik Monk assists) | 34-40 |
| 7:52 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:49 | | Sasha Vezenkov defensive rebound | ||
| 7:36 | | Malik Monk misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:32 | | DeAndre Jordan defensive rebound | ||
| 7:21 | | Michael Porter Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Malik Monk steals) | ||
| 7:17 |