The Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets game has started to get heated. Rick Carlisle was shouting at the officials about a non-call. He would then get hit with two technical fouls which led to a very crucial ejection. However, Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are not allowing the game's tension to get into their head. They even had a fun way of settling who would take the technical free throws.

The two Nuggets guards had to play Rock-Paper Scissors to determine who the shooter would be. Eventually, it was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who won.

It is not looking good for the Pacers after Rick Carlisle's ejection. His team got clobbered in the third quarter as the Nuggets scored 39 points to their 19. There is still a chance that they could rally for a comeback. However, it will take a lot of effort and will need some players to step up, especially because Tyrese Haliburton is absent due to injury.

On the other hand, the Nuggets are thriving. Jamal Murray is leading the team in scoring so far with his 27 points. He also has five assists and seven rebounds throughout 29 minutes of action. Nikola Jokic is also putting up big numbers for the Nuggets. The big man is on par to notch another triple-double. So far, he has 19 points and has grabbed 10 rebounds. He only needs one more assist to get the job done.

KCP and Reggie Jackson also have 14 and 13 points respectively. The Nuggets just need to hold the lead. If they do so, their 31st win of the season is in the bag.

The Nuggets try to climb the Western Conference

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Photo: Tyrese Haliburton shooting in Pacers jersey with fire around him and shocked emojis around him

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There are a lot of games left in the season but it looks like the defending champions are still contenders. All of their efforts are led by Jokic who has averaged 26 points, nearly 12 rebounds, and nine assists per contest. He is doing all of this by knocking down 58.7% of his shots from all three levels of scoring as well. As of the moment, they are still behind the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder. However, a win over the Pacers might just take the Nuggets to the top of the conference once again.

Will they pull it off?