As NBA play-offs near, the Denver Nuggets look to cut back turnovers as they host the Indiana Pacers

DENVER – The Denver Nuggets will be desperate to arrest their potentially terminal form slide in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when they host the surging Indiana Pacers on April 6 (April 7, Singapore time).

After spending much of this season vying for the second position in the Western Conference, Denver (47-31) have slipped below the Los Angeles Lakers into the fourth spot. The Nuggets can conceivably sink as low as eighth – and relegated to the play-in tournament – a possibility coach Michael Malone is well aware of.

“I’ve been saying that for a while,” he said. “I think people think I’m crazy, I think our players think I’m crazy.

“I don’t know how often our players look at the standings or fully understand head-to-heads, tiebreaks... I don’t think they understand the strength of our schedule compared to some of these teams behind us, and how well some of these teams are playing.”

Denver’s losing streak stretched to three games after succumbing 118-104 to the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on April 4.

The Nuggets coughed up a whopping 25 turnovers, continuing a concerning trend that has symbolised their slump.

When asked if the issue can be rectified in time for the play-offs, superstar centre Nikola Jokic was not exuding confidence.

“I mean, it’s not fixed (the) last two years – on and off,” he said. “I think we have a problem.

“We are playing, we are passing the ball – that’s our style, so we just need to be a little bit more cautious. Hopefully we can do a much better job in our last four games.”

The absence of Jamal Murray (right hamstring injury) in Denver’s past four outings has not aided the Nuggets’ cause. There is no concrete return date in sight.

“I don’t know when Jamal is going to be back,” Malone said. “Obviously not having Jamal is a big loss for us with how well he’s played, but that’s how it goes sometimes. We’ve lost three games in a row. We’ve got to fight through it, play with more urgency, play a little bit harder and with a lot more discipline.”

Indiana (46-31) are ranked fourth in the East and trending in a different direction to Denver, having registered three straight wins.

The latest success came in Indianapolis on April 4, when the Pacers rode a 42-18 fourth quarter to sprint home against the Utah Jazz, 140-112. Big men Myles Turner (26 points) and Pascal Siakam (22) led an even charge, as no Indiana player played more than 29 minutes.

“I think it’s important,” Siakam said, when asked about managing minutes at this late stage of the season. “Obviously, we know the intensity that’s coming with the play-offs. As long as we can just keep the momentum going, continue to work on our habits and get some rest within that, I think it’s a win for us.

“We’ve got to peak at the right time – and this is the time to play our best basketball... all these games are important, and even more important games are coming up in the play-offs.

“We’ve just got to be ready and everybody’s got to buy in.”

The Nuggets have won their last nine meetings against the Pacers. Indiana last beat Denver on Jan 19, 2020.

In NBA action on April 5, the Milwaukee Bucks clinched the last remaining automatic play-off place from the Eastern Conference, before warming up for the post-season with a 121-115 overtime victory over the Miami Heat.

The Bucks had been assured of their ninth consecutive play-off appearance following the Atlanta Hawks’ 121-105 defeat by the New York Knicks earlier in the day.

The loss meant the Hawks could no longer mathematically force their way into the play-off spots and will now have to enter the four-team play-in tournament which will determine the final two post-season berths from the East.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks, tallying 36 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his second straight triple-double and ninth of the season.

In Philadelphia, the Minnesota Timberwolves remained firmly in the Western Conference play-off hunt by defeating the depleted 76ers 114-109. REUTERS, AFP