標籤: dealing

The Denver Nuggets’ 136-131 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night wasn’t just another regular season win. At one point, Denver was down by 20 points, and things were looking bleak. Plus, the Nuggets were playing for the second night in a row, so coming back against a team like the Spurs was going to be a tough task. But Denver’s response in the fourth quarter spoke volumes about the team’s resiliency.

For Jamal Murray, that’s what made the comeback so important. He would lead a rally in which the Nuggets outscored the Spurs 34–12 in the fourth.

“These are the games you live for,” Murray said after the game. “Maybe not the playoffs, but these wins mean a lot. It says a lot about your character on the road as a group to deal with adversity. … But it’s amazing to see this group come away with a win.”

Murray would have a tough first half, where he could only score nine points. However, he would score 30 points in the second half, including 16 points in the fourth quarter. His step-back three-pointer with less than five minutes remaining gave Denver its first lead, and he hit four crucial free throws to seal the win.

The adversity Murray mentioned extends beyond Thursday’s game. Throughout the season, the Nuggets battled persistent injuries, causing their starting lineup to play only a few games together. Despite Aaron Gordon being out for hamstring maintenance, Denver was still able to accomplish this.

With the win, Denver improved to 41–26 and moved into a three-way tie for third place in the Western Conference. On Saturday they face the Los Angeles Lakers, who themselves are fighting for a spot in this final stretch of the regular season.

Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford recently returned from injury in the team’s 124-105 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. Gafford battled persistent ankle injuries throughout the season and missed several games. In his return to the lineup for the Mavericks, he played 20 minutes, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds.

The performance showcased Gafford’s talent in the frontcourt, leading to speculation of his availability during the trade deadline. Whether Gafford stays with the Mavericks — recently receiving a three-year, $54 million extension this offseason — remains to be seen. He spoke about the mental damage he suffered due to his injuries.

“It’s like a little bit of wear and tear on the brain when it comes to figuring out ways to play around it. It hurts, of course, but, like I said, we got the job done on a night-to-night basis. And, just trying to play through it… It’s going to help me in the long run, I would say, because now it’s like the first time I’ve dealt with an injury that’s kind of lasted all season long.”

“So I’m learning a lot of things where, you know, taking more care of my body, trying to continue to find ways to be ready for the next game coming up,” Gafford said.

Despite Cooper Flagg’s stellar rookie campaign, the Mavericks are 21-38. They are the 12th seed in the Western Conference, two spots out of a play-in berth. Recently, the Mavericks made significant moves, trading D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards, which could be signaled as a reset for the organization around their new star.

The 27-year-old Gafford points toward that future. He currently has averages of 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on a 63.2% field goal percentage. He could remain with Dallas as a consistent option at the center position, or his tradeable contract could be moved to add more depth to the team around Flagg. But Gafford’s availability certainly increases the Mavericks’ winning effectiveness.

The Mavericks return to action on Sunday when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder. Game ends at 8:00 PM

Tyrese Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals in a difficult 2024–25 campaign, where he suffered an Achilles injury that caused him to miss the current season. Despite this, things have taken a bit of a turn for the worse as the two-time All-Star has now been diagnosed with shingles, a viral condition which is expected to keep him away from the team for a period of ‘two to three weeks’.

“It’s a very painful thing. He’ll probably make a full recovery. “He was visiting us in DC and had some weird symptoms. It’s a unique case, a unique situation … but he’s always in a good mood, so he’ll get through it,” head coach Rick Carlisle said of Haliburton’s situation, according to IndyStar.

Carlisle spoke about Haliburton’s importance to the team and claimed that for the Pacers, “it’s extremely difficult to try to survive at a high level without a guy like that.”
Indiana entered the week with a 15-43 record and only had one player in Pascal Siakam averaging over 20 points per game.

The Pacers have been effectively stripped of their offensive engine. Apart from being the best playmaker on the Haliburton team, he was always capable of scoring from any range at any point.

In his absence, Indiana has pioneered its ‘team-first’ system with Benedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard averaging nearly 17 points per game. While the latest diagnosis has no impact on Haliburton’s overall timeline, the 25-year-old is undoubtedly going through a painful period.

The Pacers are in 15th place in the Eastern Conference and are on their way to being a lottery pick, and are probably already looking ahead to next season, with Haliburton also ready to return. Currently, they are going through a three-game losing streak and will next face the Philadelphia 76ers.