Having their four-game win streak snapped, the Denver Nuggets look to bounce back against the Sacramento Kings tonight at Arco Arena.
Denver looked sloppy in its 106-93 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, shooting a pedestrian 37.5% as a team. Though Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups accounted for 56 of the team's points, they added to the shooting woes, going a combined 17-40 from the field.
The good news for the Nuggets (20-14) is that the Kings own the worst record in the NBA at 7-25 and rank in the bottom third of the league in points allowed, giving up 101.3 ppg. The combination of porous defense and a seemingly lack of talent should bode well for the Nuggets in the second half of a West coast back-to-back stretch.
Offensively the Kings also struggle, raking 25th in the league in points scored per game at 94.6. Last year's Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans, is struggling in his sophomore campaign, seeing his points per game average drop from 20.1 last season to a team-high 16.9 this season.
The one area where the Kings might have the upper hand is on the glass. Sacramento averages 43.2 rebounds a game, good for sixth in the league. In their loss to the Clippers last night, Denver was outrebounded by 17, while giving up 19 offensive boards. Denver needs to shore up that part of their game if they want to win tonight.
Al Harrington returned to the line up for Denver last night, after missing time with a thumb injury. But the Nuggets were only at full strength for a quarter before Ty Lawson left the court with a sprained ankle early in the second quarter. Lawson is listed as day-to-day and is hopeful to return tonight.
The game tips tonight at 8:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on either TNT or Altitude.