Denver Nuggets riding six game losing streak, face Milwaukee Bucks tonight

The Denver Nuggets look to end the month on a high note after dropping their previous six games. They take on the Milwaukee Bucks, owners of a three game losing streak themselves, including an 87-82 loss to the Hornets in Charlotte last night. The Nuggets squeaked out a 103-102 victory over the Bucks in Denver on Nov. 11th, led by Danilo Gallinari‘s 25 points, Kenneth Faried‘s 19 points on 8-9 shooting and one of Emmanuel Mudiay‘s best games as a pro with 16 points and 11 assists. All three will look to rebound from disappointing performances in Saturday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Bucking the Trends

Head coach Michael Malone has sounded like a broken record in his post game interviews as each of the Nuggets last six games has contained an extended stretch of terrible basketball, the worst of which culminated in Denver’s 5-point third quarter on Saturday. The offense bogs down and leads to a flurry of outside shots at the end of the shot clock while the defense has trouble keeping guards out of the paint.

Malone on pace “Maybe we’re just not in shape yet. Can’t sustain the energy for 48 minutes” #nuggets pic.twitter.com/detyAh2ZSE

— Adam Kinney (@AdamKinneyRadio) November 6, 2015

Look for Malone to deploy Will Barton strategically as he’s often the lone spark for the Nuggets during their lulls. Improved shooting is a must for Denver to get back on track as well. The last time Denver shot better than 46 percent from the floor or 35 percent from the 3-point line was against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 17th, which is, not coincidentally, the date of their last win.

Back on the Attack

Mudiay has managed to keep his turnovers down recently, with a total of 10 over his last four games (compared to 11 in his debut) – unfortunately, this hasn’t led to a more effective offense. In fact, in the four games where Mudiay has racked up six or more turnovers, the Nuggets are 3-1. Conversely, in his 10 games with three or fewer turnovers, the Nuggets are 3-7. The game will slow down to Mudiay as the season progresses, but in the mean time he needs to continue to play aggressive, even if that leads to a few extra turnovers each game.

This pass from Mudiay to Arthur in traffic was nice. pic.twitter.com/T8uUH3VNGa — Nate Timmons (@NateTimmonsBSN) November 29, 2015

As Shoots Gallo, so Shoot the Nuggets

Another Nugget that needs to get back on track is Danilo Gallinari. The Nuggets as a whole have struggle to shoot the ball since the Pelicans game, but none have struggled more than Gallo who hasn’t made more than a third of his shots or made more than two 3-pointers since that game. For the Nuggets to have a chance on any given night this season, Gallinari needs the be the All-Star caliber player Nuggets fans were hoping to see after a strong finish to last year, and a great showing for the Italian National Team this offseason.

Injury Report

Milwaukee: Greivis Vasquez (Ankle – Day-to-Day)

Denver: Faried (Left Ankle Sprain – Probable), Gary Harris (Concussion – Doubtful), Wilson Chandler (Right Hip Arthroscopic Surgery – Out), Jusuf Nurkic (Left Patellar Tendon Repair – Out)