Last night, the Nuggets held on against the depleted Memphis Grizzlies to pull out their first win in the FedExForum in their last six tries. Tonight, they face a team they've had more success against, but one who is even more decimated by injuries. New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry even joked about needing a voodoo doctor to remove the curse on the team. With both teams having played last night, the Peli's injury situation might give the Nuggets a bit of an advantage on the fatigue front, especially if Jusuf Nurkic is able to get on the court after his illness.
On the draft/tanking/play hard front, I expect the Nuggets to win tonight, but I also think it's possibly the last victory of the year. The only team remaining on the schedule that isn't playoff bound is the Sacramento Kings – a team that the Nuggets have struggled mightily against this season. Perhaps the Spurs rest everyone, except they usually perform well even when Pop does the minutes managing thing. Utah will be pushing hard to secure a spot, most likely. Perhaps if Portland has locked up the fifth seed, they rest Dame. It's going to be a rough close to the season, though.
