Denver Nuggets gear up for stretch run following All-Star break
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The Denver Nuggets are not playing their best basketball right now — at least if you consider the past three games.
Driving the news: The defending champions entered the All Star break on a three-game losing streak, and will look to snap the skid against the lowly Washington Wizards Thursday at Ball Arena.
- The game tips off at 7pm.
Zoom in: The Nuggets (36-19) are in fourth place in a loaded Western Conference, three games behind the leading Minnesota Timberwolves, and just behind a young Oklahoma City Thunder and resurgent Los Angeles Clippers.
Between the lines: The team still boasts the second-best home record in the league, and it's hard to beat a team with center Nikola Jokić on the floor (just ask LeBron James).
What they're saying: "We're not healthy," head coach Mike Malone said after the most recent loss last week, which did not feature starting guards Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope due to injuries.
- "We have the best five-man starting unit in the league. The last three games we haven't had those five guys together. I think it's more of that."
By the numbers: The Nuggets have the second-best odds to win this season's title, after the Boston Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA, according to ESPN.
Of note: Jokić is the favorite to win this season's MVP award — which would be his third — after Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was knocked out of contention due to game requirements.