NBA Power Rankings: Come fall in love with the Sacramento Kings

By Ian Levy | Nov 6, 2018

MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 29: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket against the Miami Heat on October 29, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Oscar Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 1: Mason Plumlee #24 of the Denver Nuggets talks with the media after the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 1, 2018 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

73. . 9-1. Previous: 4th. denver nuggets. 3. team

It took 48 points from Jamal Murray but the Nuggets were able to steal a game from the Boston Celtics and have now beaten the preseason favorites in both conferences. The strength of this Nuggets team has, amazingly, been their defense. The past two seasons they established themselves as an offensive powerhouse with Nikola Jokic as the fulcrum in the middle but this year they’ve also been able to slow down their opponents and currently have the third-best defensive efficiency in the league.

The strength of their defense is rebounding, where they’ve been among the best in the league. However, they also rank in top-10 in opponent turnover percentage and have been using this stops to fuel their transition attack on offense. Mason Plumlee has been very solid creating deflection in the middle, making up for what he lacks as a rim protector. The perimeter defenders have also done a much better job of denying penetration and keeping their bigs from cleaning up messes. If the Nuggets can sustain this kind of performance across the entire season, they have to be considered a legitimate contender.

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