The Denver Nuggets need a bounce-back performance, and tonight could be the night.
The Magic (10-14) and Nuggets (8-15) are in jeopardy of letting their seasons slip away if they don’t get things turned around quickly. Whether in Denver or Orlando, fans are hoping today is the day their team gets back on track.
Here are a few things to look for tonight:
Both Teams Are Tired
Orlando is coming off two straight losses in which they fell by at least 20 points, including a 21-point loss to the Hornets last night. The Magic will be looking to right themselves, but on a back-to-back, it might be tough.
As for the Nuggets, they’re nearing the end of a six-game road trip, which has taken them all over the country. They head to Orlando for their fifth game in nine nights, and fatigue certainly seems to have played a factor in their last two losses.
Turnovers Still a BIG Issue
The Nuggets have been having the same issues all season long: late-game execution, confusing rotations and turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.
Mudiay has been a turnover machine all season long, and it’s caused a lot of fans to call for his spot in the starting lineup. On Thursday, that change came, as Mudiay didn’t suit up with an ankle injury against the Washington Wizards. That didn’t make much of a difference, though, as the Nuggets finished with a season high 29 turnovers.
If Denver can’t begin limiting these turnovers, they’re not going to be turning things around any time soon.
Will Their Be A Switch In The Rotation?
The Nuggets have lost five of their last six games, and something’s gotta give. Michael Malone made a change to his usual starting lineup of Mudiay, Barton, Gallinari, Faried and Nurkic (which has performed worse than any other Nuggets five-man lineup) by swapping Nelson out for Mudiay and Arthur out for Faried, but how long will it last? And are there more changes coming?
With Emmanuel Mudiay expected to be in the lineup on Saturday, it will be interesting to see whether he’s inserted back into his normal role or if Malone limits his minutes or even takes him out of the starting rotation.
Likewise, Faried was a healthy scratch on Thursday. In that a sign of things to come, or was that a one-time thing? We’ll learn more tonight, as the Nuggets take on the Magic.
