DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 23: Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket against Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings pulled out a win against the Denver Nuggets in spectacular fashion.
The 2020-21 NBA season promised to be as entertaining and pulse-pounding as any 82-game campaign with fans in the stands, and a season-opening matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets proved that to be true in what will assuredly be one of the most unreal endings to a game we’ll see all year.
With the Nuggets ahead by two in overtime, a block by De’Aaron Fox led to a game-tying bucket from Harrison Barnes. Sacramento would get the ball back on a tremendous defensive play, and Buddy Hield put back a Barnes miss to give the Kings a 124-122 win.
The Kings started the campaign off strong after a disappointing 2019-20 season
While Fox’s contract will keep him in Sacramento for the foreseeable future, Hield was the subject of trade rumors all offseason long, citing his unhappiness with his role under Luke Walton. If Sacramento keeps pulling out victories like this, however, he might change his mind and decide to stay.
The Kings do have several very intriguing pieces and a surprising amount of depth, but most believe that it will not be enough to get them into the postseason in a very crowded Western Conference. Having said that, the Kings looked motivated and lethal on offense, which could help them surprise people and make a run this season.
The Nuggets shocked the NBA world last year when they took advantage of a Clippers choke job in order to make it to the Western Conference Finals. It appears that whatever bad mojo 2020 has created has finally seeped into the Nuggets, as they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last night. Hopefully Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray don’t make a habit of losing games like this.