After the Brooklyn Nets lost their fourth straight game last Friday, head coach Steve Nash had a positive takeaway for his team.
''I think pressure is good," Nash said following the Nets’ defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. ''You're going to face pressure in the playoffs and you have to be pressure-tested. This is a little bit of pressure for us, a little bit of a hole for us to dig out of.
"How can we solve this riddle? How can we get over the line in some of these games?”
Nash and the Nets will have a chance to crack that riddle and relieve some of the pressure when they face the Denver Nuggets at 10:00 AM on NBA TV Philippines and NBA.Smart.
Already assured of a playoff spot, the primary concern of the Nets is their health and chemistry entering the postseason. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have been playing well together but they still have a missing piece in James Harden. Brooklyn’s main ball handler remains out of the lineup because of a hamstring injury.
Time is of the essence for the consistency-seeking Nets who lost against the Portland Trail Blazers and twice versus the Milwaukee Bucks before their fourth consecutive defeat in Dallas. Their visit to Denver will be a good test for them against a playoff team with an MVP candidate.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, are fresh off a difficult challenge themselves after a Saturday loss against the Utah Jazz - the top team in the West. Even though star Donovan Mitchell didn’t suit up, Bojan Bogdanovic had enough firepower to overwhelm the Nuggets, dropping a career-best 48 points.
As the Nets are looking to get their act together, the Nuggets are fine-tuning what they have ahead of the postseason. The team has stayed more than afloat after the Jamal Murray injury with the otherworldly play of Nikola Jokic and the prominence of Michael Porter Jr. Still, they are still trying out lineups and schemes with Aaron Gordon and newly acquired guard Austin Rivers.
The Nuggets have been fine since losing Murray, however, they have to be more than fine come playoff time.
The Nets-Nuggets matchup will be a star-studded affair filled with high-level basketball. But if you’re looking for one more game to tickle your fancy, then take a peek at the Washington Wizards going up against the Indiana Pacers, 7:00 AM on League Pass.
The 10th seed Wizards (31-36) are on a late season push, hell bent on securing a play-in seat while the ninth place Pacers (31-35), are trying to solidify their position. Being the two bottom seeds, this could very well be a preview of a play-in game in the East.
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