PREVIEW: The Washington Wizards take on the Denver Nuggets in this NBA matchup , with the game taking place at Ball Arena on Saturday night. Washington enters this contest in a genuine slump, having lost six of their last seven games overall and looking to arrest a five-game losing streak after getting routed by Sacramento in a 128-115 road defeat. The Wizards are averaging 112.6 points per game on solid 46.1 percent shooting, but those offensive numbers are undermined by serious defensive issues as they surrender 123.9 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot 47.2 percent from the field. The Wizards are without Cam Whitmore, Bilal Coulibaly, Tristan Vukcevic, Khris Middleton, and Trae Young , which continues to hamper their ability to establish any offensive consistency. The Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, are heading in the opposite direction as they have won five of their last six games and are chasing a fourth straight victory following a solid road win over Dallas. On the season, Denver is averaging 122.7 points per game on an efficient 50.2 percent shooting while allowing 117.5 points on 47.2 percent shooting, reflecting a team that can score in bunches and has been good defensively when it matters most. What makes Denver's recent run especially impressive is that it has come without Nikola Jokic and several other key contributors, with Jamal Murray elevating his play and taking command of the offense to help the Nuggets maintain structure and confidence. Playing the second night of a back-to-back at altitude represents one of the toughest spots in the league, and given the gap in form and cohesion between these teams, all signs point toward Denver controlling the game early and pulling away.