Kings-Nuggets Matchup of the Game: Domantas Sabonis vs Nikola Jokić

The Sacramento Kings (39-40) might be figuring things out at the perfect time. After winning three straight games, they return home for their final three games, starting with the new look Denver Nuggets (47-32).

The Nuggets shockingly fired head coach Michael Malone, and son of Kings' legendary coach Rick Adelman, David Adelman, will take over in his place. It's only fitting that he makes his coaching debut in Sacramento.

Lead assistant David Adelman will serve as the interim head coach for the Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/DD3Y6eDJVT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 8, 2025

But no matter who the coach is, the fact of the matter remains that the Nuggets will revolve around Nikola Jokić, making him and Domantas Sabonis the easy choice for the matchup of the game.

Season Stats:

Domantas Sabonis: 19.2 PTS, 13.9 REB, 6.1 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.4 BLK, 58.9 FG%, 40.3 3P%

Nikola Jokić: 30.0 PTS, 12.8 REB, 10.2 AST, 1.8 STL, 0.7 BLK, 57.7 FG%, 41.5 3P%

Over the Kings last three wins, Domantas Sabonis looks like he's on a mission. Sacramento's season has been filled with up and downs, but Sabonis has arguably been the most consistent player on the team (with DeMar DeRozan up for debate as well).

While Zach LaVine is stealing headlines with his scoring explosions, Sabonis continues to do everything on the court. In his last four games, he's averaging 22.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists on 61.4% shooting from the field.

The biggest numbers that stand out for the All-NBA center is his recent uptick in assists. After a rare game where he didn't record a single assist, he has followed it up with 7, 7, 7, and 10 over the last four games.

Without a true point guard, the Kings are lacking a true distributor on the team, which makes it more surprising that Sabonis had a lull in his passing numbers. But as the season comes to a close, they appear to be finding their offensive rhythm and flow.

The pairing of Sabonis and LaVine specifically has taken off. The two seems like a perfect match for each other, but just hadn't clicked until recently.

While we say that Domantas Sabonis does everything for the Kings, saying the same thing about Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets has a whole other meaning.

Jokić, a three-time MVP, may be having his best season yet. He's averaging career-highs in points, assists, steals, and three-point percentage. Somehow one of the best players in the world may have gotten even better.

But the issue for the Nuggets is that while Jokić is playing out of his mind, the team is struggling to break away from the pack in the tough Western Conference.

The Kings have been able to slow down the Nuggets in the past, but so far have lost the three games to Denver this season, with Jokić averaging 25.7 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists against them.

While those numbers jump off the page, they honestly aren't a terrible output to concede to Jokić. Ideally, they keep his production as limited as possible, but that's much easier said than done against the league's best.

Stat Predictions:

Domantas Sabonis: 18 PTS, 13 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK

Nikola Jokić: 29 PTS, 15 REB, 11 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK

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