The Sacramento Kings’ brutal season got worse on Thursday when they hosted the championship-contending Denver Nuggets — the purple-clad home team was absolutely walloped 136-105. It was the 11th straight road win for Denver, a franchise best streak which improved the team to 18-6.
The Nuggets went on a big run in the first quarter to take a lead they’d never look back from as the game opened up after halftime, and Denver put up a huge number. An angered Nikola Jokic went off for 36 points on 16 shots, helped by Jamal Murray’s 11 points and nine assists, Peyton Watson’s scoring barrage of 21 points and Jonas Valanciunas’ 15 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
“We’re blessed to have him,” David Adelman said of Val after the game.
Valanciunas’ bench contributions were again felt. He is the lone player in NBA history to average eight or more points and four and a half or more rebounds a game while playing fewer than 12 minutes a game.
The two-man game between these two…
Jamal Murray with 9 assists & Nikola Jokić with 32 points!
Tap to watch: https://t.co/FM5jr9zKce pic.twitter.com/5JI8haTgbd
— NBA (@NBA) December 12, 2025
Longtime Jokic irritant Drew Eubanks seemed to get under the big fella’s skin with a push foul early and from that point on, the three-time MVP was looking to score. Joker had a nice first quarter to give the Nuggets a quick 12-point lead, their 22nd time hitting that mark in 24 games this season, then followed it up by dominating the third quarter.
“We played the right way from the beginning,” Jokic told the broadcast after the game. “We didn’t have any stupid mistakes, stupid tries, turnovers. I think we had a really professional game.”
The Nuggets were well-rested, last playing on Sunday. They even got two days of practice this week in Denver, a rarity given their topsy-turvy schedule. The rest showed off a bit, and Denver should stay well-rested. Most of the starters didn’t play in the fourth quarter, and their next game isn’t until Monday.
What’s next for the Nuggets?
The Nuggets are finally coming home, which may be a bad thing depending on who you ask. The team’s franchise-best active 11-game road win streak is rivaled by a Nikola Jokic-era worst four-game home losing streak. But most of those games have come not on a homestand but in one-off home games. That changes starting Monday with the Nuggets beginning a four-game homestand and a stretch of five of six games at home, including the Christmas Day bout. Then it’s the team’s longest road trip of the season after the holiday and through mid-January.
“Don’t make stupid mistakes and play professionally,” is what Jokic said about the team’s approach for the coming home games.
Denver won’t have a chance at the all-time road mark of 16-straight held by the Lakers until the team is on that long East Coast swing.
The Nuggets’ next game is a rematch of the team’s most interesting game thus far, this time it’s in Denver, but a battle against the Houston Rockets. The two teams are second and third in the West.
