Pelicans prepare for Nuggets in the thick of the playoff race The NBA’s playoff picture is beginning to emerge, but slowly.
The Western Conference has 12 teams that could stay on after the regular season ends on April 9; however, their positions remain uncertain.
The New Orleans Pelicans are in the blend of steady change. As of Wednesday, New Orleans was ranked eighth, which would guarantee it a spot in the play-in tournament, but a few defeats could land it in the draft lottery. On the other hand, the Pelicans could advance to the first round of the playoffs without having to participate in the play-in if they maintain a winning streak.
Therefore, the Pelicans place a high value on each and every game, including Thursday night’s contest with the host Denver Nuggets.
Denver (51-24) drives the Western Meeting and is on target to be the favorite in the gathering without precedent for establishment history.
New Orleans (38-38) is coming off a difficult loss on Tuesday night at Golden State. At one point, the Pelicans had a 20-point lead, but they lost by 11 and missed a chance to tie Minnesota for the sixth seed.
Despite missing star forward Zion Williamson, who has been out of the last 39 games with a hamstring injury, New Orleans is still in contention for the playoffs despite losing a five-game winning streak. On April 5, he will be re-evaluated.
The responsibility of protecting Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic will be assigned to Jonas Valanciunas, who played during the five-game winning streak and averaged 17.4 points and 16.0 rebounds. In a win over Philadelphia on Monday, Jokic recorded his 29th triple-double of the season and is nearly averaging a triple-double for the year (24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 9.9 assists per game).
Denver currently holds a three-game lead over Memphis in the Western Conference; if the Grizzlies lose, Denver would need 55 wins to win the West. The Nuggets held on after nearly losing a lead to the 76ers’ reserves.
With 3:25 remaining, Denver held a 14-point lead, but it was forced to use its starters again to tie the game. Michael Malone, the coach of the Nuggets, said that his decision to bench Aaron Gordon during crucial moments was a mistake on his part as a coach.
Malone stuck with veteran Jeff Green and said after the game that he didn’t think the game would get close.
Denver will not be able to achieve 55 victories overnight. It will play four of its next six games on the road following Thursday night’s game, with its two home games against the Warriors and the surprising Sacramento Kings, both of which are competing for a playoff spot.
The first step is to win the season series and beat the Pelicans for the third time. On January 24, the Nuggets prevailed 99-98 in New Orleans thanks to a field goal by Jokic with 16.9 seconds remaining and three missed attempts prevented by the defense in the final 5.6 seconds.
