Sacramento @ Denver preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 30, 2019 ) Denver 97, Sacramento 100

Nikola Jokic's recent hot streak is keeping the Denver Nuggets in the win column, and his fourth triple-double in nine games on Saturday led the team to its eighth win in that span. The Nuggets will try to stay sharp when they finish off a three-game homestand by hosting the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

Jokic collected a season-high 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Saturday's 119-110 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies, giving Denver a nice bounce-back after it had a seven-game winning streak come to an end with a loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans in the opener of the homestand. The Nuggets, who embark on a five-game road trip starting Tuesday in Houston, held the Grizzlies to 11 points in the first quarter and built up a 23-point lead in the first half before letting up on the defensive end and holding off a fourth-quarter rally. The Kings watched their losing streak reach six in a row with a 112-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday - the fifth time during the streak that they fell by single digits and the second straight by two or fewer points. Sacramento is making a one-game stop on the road before heading home for another four straight and is 6-12 away from home.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), Altitude (Denver)

ABOUT THE KINGS (12-20): Harrison Barnes had a chance to win the game on Saturday but was off the mark on a 3-pointer in the final seconds, adding a disappointing note to an otherwise solid night in which he collected 21 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. The silver lining in the latest setback came from shooting guard Buddy Hield, who scored 23 points and went 4-of-6 from 3-point range after averaging 11.2 points and going 11-of-47 from beyond the arc in the previous five contests. Point guard De'Aaron Fox sat out the latest lost with back spasms and is day-to-day.

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (22-9): Jokic is averaging 23 points, 10.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists over the last nine games, with eight double-doubles in that span, and went 12-of-19 from the floor in Saturday's triumph before fouling out late. The 24-year-old is shooting 47.6 percent from beyond the arc over the last nine contests to help Denver stay within shouting distance of the Los Angeles Lakers atop the Western Conference. Jokic's strong play of late is helping the team overcome a rough stretch from point guard Jamal Murray, who went 5-of-14 from the floor on Saturday and shot 50 percent or better from the floor in two of the last nine contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Denver PF Paul Millsap (quad) sat out Saturday and is day-to-day.

2. Kings C Marvin Bagley III is expected to miss the next few games with a foot sprain.

3. The teams split the first two meetings this season, both at Sacramento.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 109, Kings 103