Sacramento @ Denver preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 3, 2019 ) Denver 117, Sacramento 113

Coming off a wildly successful homestand, the Sacramento Kings will try to enter the All-Star break with a big road win when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. A 117-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday gave the Kings a 5-1 mark on their stay at Golden 1 Center.

Rookie Marvin Bagley III scored a career-high 32 points off the bench for Sacramento and is getting a sense of the building excitement for a franchise that has not reached the playoffs since 2006. "We have this goal in our heads about getting to the playoffs and it's getting close right now," Bagley told reporters of his team, which is tied for eighth in the Western Conference. "Every game matters. I'm excited, after we get done with this next game, how we come back from break and see where we can go from there." The Nuggets are in second place in that tightening race and a league-best 24-4 at home following Monday's 103-87 win over the Miami Heat. Denver had lost three in a row while giving up an average of 127 points before forcing 19 turnovers to stifle the Heat.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), Altitude (Denver)

ABOUT THE KINGS (30-26): Bagley was 10-of-17 from the floor, 11-of-13 from the line and made one of his two 3-point tries after going 1-for-18 from beyond the arc over his previous 10 games. "He's doing what we knew he could do in the beginning," center Willie Cauley-Stein told reporters of the 19-year-old Bagley. "It's really on him. He's getting the time, he's putting in the work and it's showing. Buddy Hield added 18 points in the win over the Suns as Sacramento reached the 30-win mark faster than they have in any season since 2004-05.

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (38-18): All-Star Nikola Jokic and Malik Beasley scored 23 points apiece in the win over the Heat, as Denver played with an intensity it lacked at times during the three-game slide. "We were tired of losing, three in a row, and coach wasn't too happy about it," guard Monte Morris told reporters after chipping in 17 points off the bench. "We just needed to get back to our old style, our old Nuggets basketball, flying around and covering for mistakes." Jokic averaged 20 points, 12.5 rebounds and six assists to lead Denver to wins in the first two matchups with Sacramento this season.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Nuggets are 14-2 at home against West opponents.

2. Kings PF Nemanja Bjelica is shooting 5-for-17 -- including 0-for-5 from 3-point range -- over his last two games.

3. Denver has won four straight meetings at home.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 114, Kings 110