Kevin Martin scored 36 points despite missing Sacramento's shootaround with the stomach flu, and the Kings dealt a blow to the Denver Nuggets' playoff plans last night with a surprising 118-115 win at the Pepsi Center. The Kings, out of playoff contention and missing Ron Artest (thumb) and Brad Miller (leg), won their fourth straight game and snapped Denver's nine-game home winning streak.
The Kings took advantage of sloppy play and silly mistakes by the Nuggets, who got 47 points from Carmelo Anthony, two shy of his career high. Instead of moving into a seventh-place tie with Dallas, Denver fell into a tie with idle Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot in the wild Western Conference. The Nuggets visit the Warriors on Thursday night. (More NBA stories.)