NBA News Wire

Nuggets 125, Kings 117

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Guard Ty Lawson scored a game-high 27 points to lead six Nuggets in double figures, and Denver ran past the Sacramento Kings 125-117 Sunday at Sleep Train Arena.

Lawson scored 20 points in the second half and combined with center Timofey Mozgov to score every Denver point during a 14-8 third-quarter run that gave the Nuggets the lead for good.

Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler added 20 points, and forward Kenneth Faried had 15 points and 11 rebounds as Denver (22-21) won its second straight following a three-game skid.

Guard Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points to lead the Kings, who played without their leading scorers, center DeMarcus Cousins and forward Rudy Gay, for the second consecutive game. Thomas made only seven of 21 shots but sank a 3-pointer for the 37th game in a row, the second-longest streak in Sacramento history. Thomas is two games shy of matching Mitch Richmond’s club mark set during the 1996-97 season.

Cousins (sprained left ankle) and Gay (left Achilles strain) combined to average 42 points a game since Gay’s acquisition from the Toronto Raptors in December. Coach Michael Malone said before the game that it was not decided whether the two would travel to Utah for Sacramento’s game Monday against the Jazz.

Guard Marcus Thornton scored 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting for the Kings (15-28). Thornton scored a combined 61 points the past two games after totaling 33 in his previous nine contests.

Guard Ben McLemore added 18 points for Sacramento, while forward Jason Thompson had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

NOTES: Nuggets F Darrell Arthur missed his seventh consecutive game with a strained left hip. He is day-to-day. … Kings G Carl Landry played his fourth straight game since returning from a torn left hip flexor that kept him out the first 39 contests. … The Nuggets began the night averaging 112.7 points per game in January, the best mark in the NBA. They weren’t held below 100 in any of their first 12 games during the month. … For the Kings, the contest was the first of five they will play over a seven-day stretch. They play 11 games in 18 days leading up to the All-Star break. … Denver needs to win its final two games in January to extend to six its streak of consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins in that month.

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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