The Denver Nuggets defeated the host Sacramento Kings, 105 - 92, at Golden One Center on Saturday. This was a game that meant a lot more to Denver than Sacramento, as they really took control from start to finish. In fact, the Kings held just one one - point lead in the first quarter, with Denver leading for 47 minutes of this game. Free-throw shooting was decisive, with the Nuggets going 16 - of - 18 from the charity stripe, while the Kings could only go 12 - of - 20. Denver ended up shooting 47 percent from the field, while Sacramento fell just shy of 44 percent. The Nuggets (31 - 35) are barely holding on to the eight - seed in the west, so to say this win was needed is a drastic understatement. Gary Harris led the way for Denver, as he tallied 24 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals on 10 - of - 15 shooting. Nikola Jokic finished second on the team, totaling 20 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Danilo Gallinari accrued 15 points, five rebounds and two assists. Jamal Murray led the bench with 14 points, three rebounds and two steals, while Mason Plumlee provided eight points, seven rebounds and eight assists of his own off the pine. On deck for Denver is a home matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. The Kings (25 - 41) continue to struggle without DeMarcus Cousins, as they have now lost eight - straight games. Buddy Hield led Sacramento in scoring, as he amassed 17 points, six rebounds and three assists on 6 - of - 8 shooting. Tyreke Evans finished second on the team with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench. Willie Cauley-Stein collected 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Sacramento will look to snap this slide on Monday in a home matchup with the Orlando Magic.
["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 41 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 25 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 31 Wins ."]