Another NBA night, the Italian one between Sunday and Monday, with a rich program of games that promise spectacle and intensity. Between individual duels and ever-present rivalries, there will be eight races that will be held and among them all, the one between stands out Denver Nuggets e Milwaukee Bucks who will face each other at the Ball Arena in Denver. But be careful, too San Antonio (27-11) e Minnesota (25-14). Balanced match between the Spurs, fresh from a 100-95 away victory against the Boston Celticse Minnesotacoming off a 146-134 road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Denver Nuggets ( 25-13) – Milwaukee Bucks (17-21)
Denver presents himself to the challenge after the 110-87 defeat against Atlanta. The Nuggets, in the current season, have a record of only 10 wins and six defeats at home and of these, four came against teams with a negative record. Injuries are penalizing the team: first Jamal Murray then Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas and finally Cameron Johnson but there is also good news such as the return of Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun after a long period of absence. The Nuggets struggled a lot in their last match, the absence of their best setters was a major factor and the numbers are proof of this: 19 turnovers. The injured Jokic is the team’s leader in terms of points (29.6), rebounds (12.2) and assists (11).
I Milwaukee Bucks they arrive at the match strong of the 105-101 victory obtained against the Los Angeles Lakers. The fifth success in the last seven games and at the Denver Arena they have a chance to finish their tour of the Western Conference with a 3-1 record. Although the Bucks are eleventh in the Eastern Conference, they have taken a step forward in the middle of the season to get back into the playoff race. The credit certainly goes to Antetokounmpo who, since his return to the field on December 27 after recovering from his calf injury, has contributed significantly to the surge. “We cannot rest on our laurels. We have to keep pushing and pushing our limits.” he said after scoring 21 points against Los Angeles and making two crucial defensive plays in the final 40 seconds: he blocked LeBron James’ shot with the score tied and made a last-gasp steal to seal the victory.
PLAYER FOCUS – Antetokounmpo he is the Bucks’ leader in points scored: 29.2 per game and 9.8 rebounds in the 24 games he has played. In the Milwaukee there are seven players with an average of double-digit points and among them Kevin Porter Jr. At 18.6 who is also the leader in assists: 7.7 per game. In Jokic’s absence, watch out for the Bucks Watson who increased his scoring average in January. He is currently at 24.6 and has scored 21+ points in his last six games.
The other challenges
Toronto Raptors- Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers – New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder – Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves – San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix Suns – Washington Wizards
Golden State Warriors – Atlanta Hawks
Sacramento Kings – Houston Rockets
