Off the back of respective victories last time out, the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns will renew hostilities with a meeting at the Ball Arena on Saturday.
The home side just about did enough to ward off the challenge of the Sacramento Kings last time out, while their visitors showed great mettle to complete a stunning comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Match preview
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Following a nine-game winning run to kick off February, the Denver Nuggets have seen their momentum dwindle over the last couple of matches as they headed into their clash against the Kings on a run of three defeats from five outings courtesy of a 110-103 loss to the Boston Celtics in the clash of the most recent two champions on Sunday.
Trailing by 13 points after the opening 12 minutes, Michael Malone's men looked set to suffer consecutive defeats for the first time since January 30 before rallying in the subsequent three quarters, during which they outscored their opponents 87-68.
Russell Westbrook (25), Jamal Murray (24) and Nikola Jokic (22) combined for 71 points to lead the charge for the Nuggets, who are now 3-3 over their last six games to sit third in the Western Conference standings.
Given the Oklahoma City Thunder's blistering form all season long, the Nuggets are unlikely to have any chance at securing the number one seed from the division but remain firmly in contention for second place, which would see them avoid this year's pacesetters until the conference finals.
Ahead of back-to-back games against the aforementioned Thunder following this weekend's affair, Saturday's hosts could really do with a victory here as they look to string together a decent run of results in the final knockings of the regular season.
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For a team with the level of talent the Phoenix Suns possess, playoff qualification should be a formality, but that is far from the case for the 2021 NBA finalists, who are currently faced with the uphill task of breaking into the top six to guarantee an automatic playoff berth.
That task was undeniably made a tad easier for Mike Budenholzer's men by a remarkable 119-117 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers when the two sides went head-to-head at the Footprint Centre on Wednesday.
Down 23 two minutes from the end of the fourth quarter, the Suns rallied in the final 14 minutes of the contest, thanks in no small part to big performances from Kevin Durant and Collin Gillespie, who combined for 29 fourth-quarter points.
While the importance of the Suns' most recent victory cannot be overstated, the manner could, however, be the most important takeaway for a team in need of a lift, having gone 5-11 across their last 16 outings.
Having moved up to 11th in the Western Conference standings, Saturday's visitors are still three wins off usurping the Dallas Mavericks in 10th and a further three victories shy of the Golden State Warriors in sixth.
Given their remaining schedule, which sees them play all but one of the teams currently above them before the regular season runs out, the Suns are well and truly alive in the battle for a postseason berth but will need to be near-perfect from here on out.
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Team News
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As confirmed by the Denver Nuggets, Julian Strawther is sidelined for at least the next four weeks due to a knee injury but should return to action before the campaign draws to an end.
DaRon Holmes II is drawing increasingly closer to a comeback from an Achilles problem, but Saturday's game is expected to come too soon, while Aaron Gordon is ruled out with an ankle issue.
Cody Martin is currently battling with a sports hernia which has seen him fail to make his Phoenix Suns debut since joining from the Charlotte Hornets in early February.
Bradley Beal lasted just 15 minutes against the Clippers as he had to come off with a left calf problem, making his involvement this weekend highly uncertain.
Should Beal be deemed unfit to participate, 25-year-old Collin Gillespie could be set for an extended run-out off the back of his impact display last time out.
Denver Nuggets possible starting five:
Westbrook, Murray; Braun, Porter Jr.; Jokic
Phoenix Suns possible starting five:
Booker, Allen; Durant, Bol; Richards
We say: Nuggets to win by 6+ points
The last six competitive editions of this fixture have yielded three wins apiece, and Saturday's clash could easily swing either way.
Both teams will head into this one with good reason to believe they can come away with a win, but we are backing the Nuggets to emerge triumphant.
Adepoju Marvellous
