A four-game win streak came to an end for the Nuggets on Saturday night in Sacramento, where the Kings opened up a 17-point lead in the first half and held on for a 123-117 win.
After playing five games in the last seven days, Denver (14-7) has three days off before visiting the Clippers on Wednesday.
Back-to-back good fortune was up
The defending champions were one of only three NBA teams with five back-to-backs in the first six weeks of the 2023-24 schedule. It was an unlucky draw for the Nuggets after a short offseason, but they have somehow managed to turn lemons into lemonade for the most part, winning the second game of all four back-to-backs before Sacramento (Utah, Chicago, at Detroit, at Los Angeles).