The Sacramento Kings had no answers for the Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, and Doug Christie did not hide from it. Speaking after the loss, Christie offered a blunt explanation that cut through everything else. “Tonight, the energy just wasn’t there,” he said, via Sactown Sports’ Brenden Nunes. That feeling defined the night for Kings players, who struggled to match the Nuggets' pace, pressure, and precision. The night felt decided early, long before the final buzzer echoed through Golden 1 Center.
Denver made that clear from the opening minutes. The Nuggets stormed out to a 41–26 lead by the end of the first quarter, overwhelming the Kings on both ends. By halftime, the score had ballooned to 77–54. Nikola Jokic controlled the game with calm authority, finishing with 36 points and 12 rebounds. Every possession bent to his rhythm. The Nuggets never let up, rolling to a 136–105 win and their 11th straight victory on the road.
Kings' numbers that exposed the gap
The box score only deepened the frustration. Sacramento shot 45 percent from the field and just 29 percent from three-point range. The Kings were outrebounded 46–38 and fell behind badly in ball movement, logging 21 assists compared to Denver’s 35. The flow belonged entirely to the visitors.
Plus-minus numbers reflected the imbalance. Every Kings starter finished with a double-digit negative rating. Even the bench struggled to shift momentum. Only Precious Achiuwa and Devon Carter avoided the red, both posting plus-two marks. Carter led the reserves with 15 points in 21 minutes, but the impact came too late.
The loss also sealed the season series. The Kings dropped it 3–1, with its lone win coming in a narrow 128–123 game. Now the Kings sit at 6–19, 13th in the West, having lost seven of their last 10 games with just three wins at home and three on the road. Meanwhile, Denver improved to 18–6, second in the conference, riding a four-game streak.
Doug Christie named the issue plainly, leaving the Kings players to answer a tougher question about urgency as the season threatens to slip away.
