SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 25 -- Mitch Richmond poured in 22 points and scored the go-ahead basket with 46.4 seconds remaining Tuesday, giving Sacramento a 97-93 win over the hapless Denver Nuggets, who have lost their first 12 games of the season. The Kings have won seven of the past nine games against the Nuggets, who are challenging the worst start by a team in NBA history.
Denver is only five losses away from matching the worst start in league history, set by Miami in 1988. This is also the Nuggets' second- longest losing streak in team history, only short of the 14 they dropped during the 1992-93 season. Sacramento was ahead 71-55 with 4 minutes 14 seconds left in the third quarter and it looked like an easy victory for Richmond's team. However, Denver scored 24 of the next 30 points and grabbed a 79-77 edge with 8:21 left in the game. Johnny Newman scored eight of his team-high 19 points in the run and Priest Lauderdale had six of his career-high 12 during the spurt. The game remained tight the rest of the way, and the Kings finally took the lead on Richmond's bucket as time was running out on the shot clock to give Sacramento a 93-91 lead. Dean Garrett, who had 13 points and a career-best 21 rebounds, could have tied the game with 31.6 seconds left but he missed two free throws. Corliss Williamson then sealed the victory with a turnaround bank shot in the lane over LaPhonso Ellis with 8.7 seconds left. He added two free throws in the closing second and finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
