Denver's Nikola Jokic, driving to the hoop against Golden State's Andrew Wiggins, scored 37 points to lead the Nuggets over the Warriors in an NBA playoff game on Sunday
Nikola Jokic will be the main man again when the Denver Nuggets host the Indiana Pacers on Friday, Jan. 20. GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

KEY POINTS

  • The Nuggets are on the verge of clinching another victory at the expense of the Pacers
  • The Pacers need to improve on both ends if they want to end the Nuggets' win streak
  • Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are expected to lead the Nuggets anew

It will be a battle of two teams headed in different directions on Friday, January 20 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

The Denver Nuggets are slated to collide with the Indiana Pacers, seeking their ninth-straight win this NBA season.

On the other side, the Pacers will try to end their five-game slide.

The Nuggets are coming off a 122-118 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray leading the way.

The two-time NBA MVP finished with another triple-double performance of 31 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds.

Murray added 28 markers and four assists in that match-up for Denver.

"When you have a lot of assists, it just shows that you're a good team player," Jokic said. "That's something I want to be. I want everybody to remember me as a guy who was a really good team player."

The Nuggets hold the most prolific offensive rating in the league right now with a 117.8 grade.

Defensively, they are at the 18th spot with a 113.5 rating.

Unless the Pacers can find a way to contain the offensive machine of the Nuggets, a sixth-straight loss looms over the horizon.

The Pacers are coming off a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 106-126.

Andrew Nembhard hauled 18 points and seven assists for the Pacers, while Bennedict Mathurin and Trevelin Queen chipped in 13 markers each.

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Noticeably absent was Myles Turner, who managed to amass only seven markers but had six blocks.

Buddy Hield also had an atrocious game, finishing with only three points.

"The beginning of the game was ugly," Carlisle stated. "And most of the rest of it was ugly other than the fourth quarter."

The Pacers own an offensive rating of 112.6.

Indiana needs to do better against the Nuggets if they want to end their skid.

Defense is also something they need to improve on, owning a defensive rating of 114.

The Nuggets are -11 spread favorites to prevail over the Pacers, who are at +11.

Meanwhile, the Moneyline is -610 for Denver and +445 for Indiana.

The Nuggets will be looking to keep their winning ways intact against a struggling Pacers five on Friday at the Ball Arena.

The tip-off is set for 9:00 PM ET, with the game being shown over the NBA League Pass and through fuboTV.

Myles Turner
Myles Turner needs to play better if the Indiana Pacers want to get back on the winning track. Getty Images | Michael Reaves
NBA Basketball