The Sacramento Kings managed to beat the lowest-ranked team in the West by two points, are back at home tonight and, despite their allergies to conventional wisdom, will look to extend their winning streak to four games against the Denver Nuggets. Wait. Will. Conventional thinking like “the better team usually wins” or “teams play better at home”? In this case, does going against convention mean beating a team that’s a few years away from a championship or staying flat at home after eventually fighting your way back to .500?

I literally can’t tell you because I don’t know myself anymore.

Just plan something in your head, and as soon as it comes to mind, you know it won’t happen!

Let’s talk Kings basketball.

When: Monday, December 16, 7:00 p.m. PST
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: NBCSCA
radio: Sactown Sports 1140am

For your consideration

Home Malone: I almost wanted to treat my editor and hostage, Greg, to one of those classic misdirection previews where I do something big and then drop a whopping 45 words before heading out for the morning, but the man is so patient with me , he deserves to see that I sacrificed some elbow grease for him today. Rightfully so, the Kings haven’t stabilized at this point in their season, aren’t trusted to do anything night-to-night, and while they’ve had an entertaining stretch of late, they’re more frustrating viewing than fun. For example: The Kings had a far better record, had much healthier players, their confidence increased after winning three of four, and still found a way to win a game against a Pelicans team missing a large portion of their roster , almost ruining it (and no, that’s not a Zion diss. What’s worse, it wasn’t a surprise to those who pay attention to how this team has performed through 25 games. I spent the entire game preview on it to warn people who already knew: the Kings are simply not a team to trust. And lo and behold: a near-disastrous end to a game that, on paper, should have been an easy night. A win is a win, and I will got four Ws in five tries, but watching the Kings now is like watching those nature documentary clips of a limping zebra sprinting through alligator-filled river water. I feel like I’ve seen this before, but I’m still stressed out because I’m not sure if it will end with what I long for. I’m confused about what misstep led to his guts being slashed and I scream about the obvious ignored paths to safety.

Okay, on a little less Nation Geographic Discussion: Tonight’s game will be the first real test in 11 days for our little zebra on the never-ending Coast of Doom, as the Kings take on a Nuggets team that, like the Kings, has slipped a bit in the standings is and continues to make its way back to find support. After losing three of four games for a while, including one against the Washington Wizards, the Nuggets have gone all out in the last two games, beating the Atlanta Hawks by 30 points, then the Clippers by 22 points, a less than stellar GM and an owner who is cheaper than he should be at the moment, but those are still the nuggets. I would never bet against Mike Malone, a coach who has so much piss and vinegar in his blood that he renders an entire world’s jellyfish stings ineffective, or Nikola Jokic, a man who manipulates every known law of strategic interaction by… Uses the power of not giving. a-fuck and his tireless efforts to ensure that his horses’ families are taken care of long after his death. It could be Jokic and fifteen clones of Martin Nessley trained by Mike Malone and I would still be confident they make it into the game. Jokic is so good, Malone is so determined.

Here are some water cooler stats for you: The Nuggets shoot the fewest three-pointers per game in the entire NBA, great. You’re hitting a rate of 38.1% per game, eighth in the NBA, and that tingle in your spin is proof that you already know what’s going to be crucial in this game. They rank first in the NBA in attempts from inside the arc, 11th in percentage, first in free throw attempts but 27th in percentage, and they are 1st in the NBA in assists . Mike Brown recently talked about finally having the time to improve the defense, especially how the team is getting closer and closer to the shooters, and with the ball bouncing around all night tonight, we’ll see how much Brown and Luke Loucks adapt have and how much is actually stuck. Despite Jokic being the focus, the Nuggets are 5th in pace, 11 spots ahead of the Kings, who mentioned in training camp that they wanted to be in the top 5 in pace. There’s actually nothing to say, just nooooting.

The Kings are too confused and the West is too talented for me to warn about how dangerous each opponent is. Jamal Murray has had a down year, he can still kill the Kings. Michael Porter Jr. can go crazy if Sacramento doesn’t guard the long ball. Aaron Gordon is a guy the Kings simply can’t keep up with for 35 minutes. Christian Braun, if he plays tonight, is a 40 percent distance shooter and a potential “this guy is killing us tonight.” The Nuggets supporting cast is very good. Their MVP is incredible. Their coach is in the top third of the league and will hold a grudge against Sacramento for as long as he has breath in his lungs.

Kings are the underdogs tonight. I hope they realize it and play like it.

forecast

30-30-15 games each for Jokic and Sabonis. Julian Strawther has an unexpectedly big game for the Nugs, Russell Westbrook is on the bench for Sacramento. Fox and Deebo come into the fourth round and pick apart their defense.

Kings: 127, Nuggets: 121