It’s the fight that matters – even in a loss. Despite trailing by 22 points at halftime, the Kings showed resilience down the stretch before falling to the Denver Nuggets 132-123 on Thursday night at Ball Arena.

The rejuvenated Kings are a new team under interim head coach Doug Christie, who already is making history in his temporary role. Sacramento is now 10-2 with Christie as its coach and has risen from the No.

Nikola Jokic had his fifth straight triple-double before the fourth quarter, finishing with 35 points, 22 rebounds and a season-high 17 assists to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Sacramento Kings 132-123 on Thursday night.

Jokic, a three-time MVP, made a three-quarter court shot at the third-quarter buzzer to put the Nuggets up by 25 points. The Kings staged a big fourth-quarter comeback to get within five, but Jokic made four free throws in the final minute to secure the victory for Denver.

Not even the miracle shot of his life was enough to earn Nikola Jokic the fourth quarter off. Jokic buried a one-handed, 66-foot heave at the third-quarter buzzer to give the Nuggets a 25-point lead that almost disappeared Thursday night in a 132-123 win over the visiting Sacramento Kings.