Nuggets vs Kings Prediction, Pick Tonight | Saturday, Dec. 2

Here's everything you need to know about Nuggets vs. Kings on Saturday, Dec. 2 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today.

The Nuggets will fly from Phoenix to Sacramento overnight to take on a rested Kings team on Saturday night. Will the Kings capitalize on their rest edge or will the Nuggets' talent persevere? Let’s break this one down.

The Nuggets are coming off a competitive back to back against Phoenix while the Kings will have a two-day rest advantage as they haven’t played since Wednesday. I’d expect Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon to return here for the Nuggets as they were both close to playing against the Suns last night.

If the Nuggets are at full strength, look for them to light up this Kings defense as the Kings do not have many good interior defenders to match up with Jokic. The Kings rank 26^th in half court defensive rating while the Nuggets rank fourth in half court offense. The Nuggets' offense has been impressive despite missing Jamal Murray for more than half of the season. They currently rank second in adjusted offensive rating despite playing the fourth-most difficult schedule of opposing defenses.

The must-have app for NBA bettors

The best NBA betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW

On the flip side of the ball, the Kings rank 10^th in adjusted offensive rating despite playing the second-most difficult schedule of opposing defenses. The Kings' season-long data is also skewed because they missed their best player De’Aaron Fox for a few games. With Fox on the floor the Kings' offensive rating jumps from 110.7 to 118.5. Fox’s ability to play with pace and get into the paint is what makes this team go and he should be able to give the Nuggets issues tonight. Nikola Jokic has improved as a defender throughout his career but I expect the athleticism of Fox to give him issues tonight. With the Nuggets on a back to back, I could see the Kings generating a few extra transition opportunities here. I expect the Nuggets to struggle with the pace of the Kings.

Sacramento ranks third in offensive three point attempt rate so I expect lots of threes launched here. This leads me towards an over bet at this current number of 231, as regardless of whether these shots are made, we should see the Nuggets able to defensive rebound and get out into transition off of these long rebounds. I’m confident that Nikola Jokic will have a consistent edge on the low-post against Sabonis and that should force the Kings to send help and force them into rotations.

The Kings should be flying around the court with two-days rest and that should increase the overall pace of play here. I also like the fact that the Kings have begun to play Malik Monk and Sasha Vezenkov off of the bench more as of late. Both of these guys can light it up from distance but are absolute cones on defense. Take the over and play this up to 234.

Pick: Over 233