DENVER _ Backup big man Harry Giles III said he was prepared to play if given the opportunity to get back on the court for the first time in more than a month. When the time finally came, Giles was ready.
Giles was one of five Kings players who scored in double figures in a 120-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
Michael Porter Jr. and Will Barton scored 19 points apiece to led the Nuggets (23-9), who are second in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Lakers. Jerami Grant had 18 points. Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Nemanja Bjelica led all scorers with 27 points for the Kings (12-21), who have lost seven in a row. Buddy Hield had 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
De'Aaron Fox was sensational after missing a game due to back spasms, posting 18 points and 13 assists. Richaun Holmes added 18 points.
Giles finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes.
Kings coach Luke Walton said before the game there was a chance Harry Giles III would play for the first time since Nov. 27. Giles got his chance when he checked in with 2:21 to play in the first quarter.
"I'm ready," Giles said before the game. "Tonight, tomorrow, next week, next month, I'm always going to be ready. Every night I'm juiced to go in the game. You know me. That's just how I play. I'm always going to be ready."
Giles immediately impacted the game, scoring on his first touch, outworking Mason Plumlee for a rebound and then throwing a pretty pass to Cory Joseph for an open layup. Giles finished the first quarter and stayed in the game to start the second, helping the Kings outscore the Nuggets 12-4 to take a 40-33 lead. In his first eight-minute stint, Giles had four points, two rebounds, two assists and one big blocked shot on a dunk attempt by Torrey Craig.
Denver battled back after Giles left the game, staging an 11-3 run. The Nuggets led 62-57 at the halftime break and opened up a nine-point lead early in the third quarter, going up 66-57 on a basket by Will Barton. They stretched their lead to double digits when Monte Morris scored to put them up 94-83 early in the fourth.
The Kings trailed by as many as 14 before mounting a 10-0 run to get within four on a driving layup by Hield. They cut the deficit to three on a 3-pointer by Bjelica, but they couldn't get any closer.
