After four consecutive defeats, the Pacers, ranked thirteenth in the East, are at home and face the challenge of the Nuggets, who are sixth in the West during a two-game winning streak.
For the Pacers, Taylor went into the starting lineup to try to bring more help to Hield + Halliburton, leading the team to defend the home field and ending the losing streak.
On the other hand, on the Side of the Nuggets, Jokic is in good shape, and although the team rushed to the away game, the Nuggets are still ready to win 3 consecutive games!
Finally, after four quarters of fighting, with a perfect single quarter of 43-15, the Nuggets, who were mainly anti-guests, although in the first half, once overpowered the Pacers, achieved a huge advantage of as many as 31 points.
But after returning from the second half, Hilde + Halliburton + Anderson felt hot in the third quarter, leading the Pacers to a 26-8 counterattack frenzy, instantly erasing the score gap.
Fortunately, in the final quarter of the showdown, Jokic + Hyland ushered in an outbreak, the Nuggets took the opportunity to play an 11-2 small climax, and the Pacers could not catch up with the points, only to lose.
The Nuggets, who finally withstood the pressure, also narrowly beat the Pacers 125-118 on the road, which was worth the trip to win 3 consecutive wins and also gave the opposing Pacers a 5-game losing streak!
In this game, the Nuggets continued the fiery state during the winning streak, playing a team performance of 6 people scoring in double figures and all the soldiers.
In the case of Aaron Gordon + Monte Morris + Cousins and other main players, each performing their own duties, the two main players Jokic + Barton, and the play of Hyland on the bench are particularly critical!
Jokic was very efficient in this game, starting 34 minutes, shooting nearly 80% of the 15-of-19 shooting, and bombing a game-high 37 points, plus 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Among them, his heroic performance in the first quarter, 6 shots and 6 bullets, not only helped the Nuggets to open the situation smoothly, but also from attack to defense to dominate the inside line, setting the tone of this game!
In addition, as Jokic's right-hand man, Barton's play in this game also played a crucial role.
In this campaign, Barton attacked and defended well, shooting 2 three-pointers on 8-of-13 shooting, delivering 18 points + 4 rebounds + 5 assists + 1 steal, providing strong firepower and containment!
Of course, the Nuggets were able to beat the Pacers and the performance of the youngster Heyland on the bench in this game, which is also indispensable.
In this game, Hyland opened low and went high, and in the case of only 3 points in the first half, Hyland ushered in an outbreak and scored 17 points, contributing 20 points + 4 rebounds + 7 assists + 1 steal + 1 block offensive and defensive performance.
And his key play in the final quarter, single-riding through the single quarter to cut 13 points, but also almost single-handedly, helped the Nuggets to hold the victory!
More importantly, after defeating the Pacers in this game and achieving a wave of 3 consecutive wins, the Nuggets' regular season record has also improved to 46 wins and 31 losses, and now in the ranking, it has officially surpassed the Jazz and risen to fifth in the West.
Rationally speaking, although the two main players Jamal Murray + Michael Porter Jr. have not yet returned, under the leadership of Jokic, the strength of this Nuggets team this season is still not to be underestimated!
On the other hand, on the Side of the Pacers, although the team played a tenacious performance of 7 people scoring in double figures, the team ultimately failed to withstand the pressure and had no chance to reverse the process of losing 5 consecutive games, which obviously made the home fans feel sorry.
For the Pacers, who have lost 5 consecutive games, considering the team's current record and ranking, it has to be said that the Pacers team, which lacks major generals, has basically bid farewell to the competition for the play-off area!