After taking their first road win, the Kings headed straight to Denver to face their next opponent, the Nuggets.
Compared to their last three matchups, the Nuggets didn't seem all that threatening. Their biggest name was still Kenneth Faried, the "Manimal," while their future franchise cornerstone, Nikola Jokić, had already been snatched away by Chen Yilun. Unless something unexpected happened, the Nuggets' slide was bound to continue.
Coach Malone didn't take this game too seriously either, treating it more like a scrimmage. Once Cousins and Gay had taken turns pounding the paint to build a comfortable lead, he didn't hesitate to send in the rookies.
Soon, a lineup of CJ, LaVine, Ben, and Jokić—all first- or second-year players—was on the floor. Seeing the baby-faced Kings squad, the Nuggets were fuming but had nowhere to vent.
Everyone could tell the Kings were looking down on them, but what could they do? They just weren't that good. Rookie Noah Vonleh tried desperately to prove he was worth his draft slot, but unsurprisingly, Jokić completely dominated him.
Physically, the muscles Vonleh had worked so hard to build were no advantage against Jokić's bulk, and in every other aspect, the Serbian simply outclassed him. By the end, Vonleh was starting to wonder which of them was really the second-round pick.
This time, Chen Yilun didn't use his boost card—mainly because he'd been too engrossed in chatting with female fans. By the time he snapped out of it, garbage time was already approaching.
Feeling a little embarrassed, he rubbed his nose and sidled up to Coach Malone.
"Mike, what do you think of our current roster?"
Caught off guard by the question, Malone froze for a moment.
"It's great. Look—we're about to win this one. Next game we're back home against the Nuggets, so a five-game win streak is basically in the bag."
"That's not what I mean." Chen Yilun waved his hand. "It's a long season. I have to think ahead. Do you think we need to make another trade?"
"Another trade?" Malone's eyes lit up instantly. "I'm in! Who are we fleecing this time?"
Chen Yilun could only stare at him. Had he really turned Malone into this? How had such a refined coach become so eager to "rob" people?
"No jokes—if we make a move, where should it be?"
Seeing the serious look on Chen Yilun's face, Malone straightened up as well. "If that's the case—the forwards. Ideally, we'd move some pieces and improve the overall quality of our wing rotation."
The Kings' guards and big men were stacked with talent—they just needed time to develop. But the forward rotation? Not so great.
Ever since moving Gay to power forward, the Kings had been overloaded at the four. Landry, Jason Thompson, and Derrick Williams all played that position. Meanwhile, starting small forward Omri Casspi—honestly, even Kings fans sometimes barely noticed him on the court.
"The forwards, huh?" Chen Yilun rubbed his chin. "Alright, I'll take a look." He pressed a hand to his temple, feeling the headache coming on.
Malone had just handed him a tricky problem. Not because there weren't good forwards—on the contrary, this was the era of elite wings.
LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George, and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard were all top-tier small forwards. But after racking his brain, Chen Yilun realized there weren't any obvious bargains to grab. Andrew Wiggins was still the golden boy in Minnesota, and the Celtics' future star Jayson Tatum was still in high school.
Forcing a trade risked disrupting the team's chemistry. Adding another player to share the ball might drag the surging Kings back into mediocrity. And a routine, minor swap? Hardly worth the trouble.
With his head starting to ache, Chen Yilun decided to stop thinking about it and just watch the game. The season was young—there was plenty of time to work things out.
On the court, the game was winding down. LaVine caught an alley-oop from Jokić, soared over Faried, and hammered it home.
"Great pass!" LaVine slapped hands with Jokić as they ran back on defense. Playing with a big man like Jokić, who could shoot and pass, was a dream for a guard like him. Jokić's range pulled opposing bigs out of the paint, leaving the lane wide open for attacks like that.
The Nuggets' arena was dead silent. Fans sat in disbelief, struggling to process what they were seeing.
Last season, the Kings were bottom-feeders just like them—maybe even worse. How had they suddenly become this good? Since when was rebuilding this easy? Wasn't the Sixers' GM still preaching "Trust the Process"?
But disbelief didn't change the score. The Kings closed it out 108–96, winning by 12. Malone's decision to hand the game to the rookies had paid off—every young player went off.
Ben McLemore scored 18 points, Jokić had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, CJ had 20 points and 5 assists, and LaVine stole the show with 26 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.
With a 4–0 record, the Kings now sat atop the Western Conference, grabbing the league's full attention.
"The Kings' success this season is obvious to anyone," Reggie Miller said on Barkley's talk show, openly expressing his admiration.
"They're like a war machine, constantly bombarding the league. With that kind of execution, every Western Conference coach needs to seriously think about how to handle them."
Miller's old Pacers were once the prototype of that kind of relentless unit, even pushing Michael Jordan to a Game 7 during their glory days. Seeing system-based basketball thriving again in the league, he had no hesitation in cheering for the Kings.
"I agree, Reggie," Barkley said, adjusting his microphone. "Cousins and Gay have made sacrifices, giving up some of their touches. The Kings' young players have stepped up under the pressure.
"You can't deny that Zach LaVine and Nikola Jokić have shown incredible competitiveness. If they keep this up, the Kings could land two spots on the All-Rookie First Team this year.
"But—" Barkley leaned forward, changing the tone—"the Kings don't have a true alpha. Cousins has elite talent, but he hasn't consistently shown that 'put-them-on-my-back' gear. Gay is a perfect number two. And the young guys still need time.
"What I'm saying is—if they run into the league's best scorers, like LeBron, Durant, or Harden—can they keep this magic going?"
"Who knows?" Miller spread his hands. Team basketball might be the most efficient style, but against top-tier talent, it often falls short. His Pacers once ruled the East, but when they faced Jordan at full throttle, they could only fall and become a stepping stone in his rise.
The Kings, though, weren't paying attention to that debate. After dismantling the Nuggets, they returned to Sacramento to rest and prepare for the rematch.
CJ spun past Ty Lawson, then double-clutched in midair and flipped it in over Faried's defense. A glance at the scoreboard and the lopsided score brought a wide grin to his face.
Game 5: Kings vs. Nuggets, this time at home.
Still reeling from the last game, the Nuggets played without much spirit. Malone pounced on the opportunity and went for the kill.
By halftime, the Kings were already up by 20. Cousins feasted on every Nuggets big man one by one, while their shooters kept raining in threes, chipping away at Denver's confidence.
By the final buzzer, the Kings had cruised to another easy win. The home crowd erupted, roaring with joy.
How long had it been since they'd celebrated like this? Far too long.
With the team's resurgence, revenue soared. Fans were snapping up season tickets to support the team.
When Chen Yilun brought the fresh financial report to owner Vivek Ranadive, the owner was already beaming.
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you," Ranadive said with a smile, pouring him a glass of water and motioning for him to sit.
What owner wouldn't love an employee who makes money without causing trouble? And with the Kings' hot start, Ranadive was now being praised as a man with "a keen eye for talent" and "the wisdom to use people well."
"Just doing my job," Chen Yilun replied with a faint smile.
"This isn't just doing your job—it's a big surprise," Ranadive said, flipping through the report and lingering on the long number in the net profit column.
Seeing the good mood, Chen Yilun decided to get to the real reason he'd come.
"Vivek, I'm here to ask for something."
"Oh? What is it?" A flicker of suspicion crossed Ranadive's eyes, but he quickly hid it. "You're one of our biggest contributors right now. Say what you need."
"Here's the thing." Chen Yilun had noticed that flicker.
"I'd like you to increase your investment in the team. Our record looks good, but there are still plenty of areas that need work. I want your backing to keep making trades."