With only a few weeks left in the regular season, the playoffs must decide whether to prioritize profits or health.
Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets have both chosen health for potential playoffs as they prepare for their matchup on Wednesday evening in Colorado.
Bucks (40-31) are only two matches behind Indiana for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, but they are more concerned about navigating through injuries and absence. Center Jericho Sims (Tum Surgery) is probably out until the playoffs, Damian Lillard has missed the last three games with a right veal injury and Big Man Bobby Portis Jr. Continues to earn a 25-player suspension to violate the terms of the NBA/NBPA ATI drug program.
Not having Sims and Portis puts more responsibility on Brook Lopez, who is fourth on the team in 12.8 points, but Coach Doc Rivers will not burn out his list before the playoffs.
“We’re on the toughest part of our season right now, and we literally have a (center) on the guard list,” Rivers told and -. “It’s tough. And the five we have is fantastic. He is (36) years old. And I will just refuse to play him lots of minutes. So we have to get through this in some way. If we can get through this with our heads above the water, we will be good.”
Rivers has Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is second in the NBA in points (30.2 ppg) and sixth in rebounding (12.0 rpg). Lillard (24.9 ppg) is ranked second in points for Milwaukee.
Nuggets (45-28) is currently third in the Western Conference, but only four matches away from the Play-in tournament. Therefore, an extended losing line can be costly. Denver has been able to stay in the top three in the position even though he did not have MVP candidate Nikola Jokic during the last five games.
Jokic leads Nuggets with 29.1 points, 12.8 returns and 10.3 assists per match – all in the top three in the NBA – but has been out with a left ankle injury and a sore right elbow. Denver is 2-3 in the games he has missed, which includes Monday’s loss of 129-119 to Chicago which started a five-game home.
Jokic is expected to return during the home and Aaron Gordon, who set out on Monday to deal with his right calf injury, should be in the lineup Wednesday.
Jamal Murray, others in the team with 21.7 points per match, has an average of 33.5 points in the last two matches in Jokic’s place. Peyton Watson started instead of Gordon on Monday and got a career high 24 points.
“I get a lot of opportunity to do what I can do and just find some more comfort,” Watson said. “My teammates trust me in positions to score, play, facilitate, do much more on the offensive end. So I just try to be as consistent as I can in my role and try to do what I can to help our team win.”
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