Road kill
Even the best teams struggle to win games away from their home court, particularly the second game of an away double-header.
Six of the Nuggets' nine remaining round-robin games are away fixtures, including two double-headers.
The last time the Nuggets played an away double-header, 37-year-old player-coach Mark Dickel did not play on the second night, telling the Otago Daily Times he needed to manage his workload with a long season ahead.
The Nuggets played well in his absence, but Dickel and captain Brendon Polyblank are the heart and soul of the team.
If they have trouble backing up, the Nuggets' prospects are bleak indeed.
Best defence is a good offence
The Nuggets have defended both the hoop and perimeter well this season.
They have had to, because their offence has really been lacking.
They are the worst three-point shooting team in the league and have to battle for every basket.
Polyblank has done sterling work in the paint and import Warren Carter has lifted his performance.
But following a run of three consecutive losses at home, Dickel felt the Nuggets needed to make a change and cut import Troy Payne.
It is hoped his replacement, Brandon Bowdry, can deliver 25-30 points a game.
His first real test will come this weekend, with a double-header against the Waitakere Rangers and the Waikato Pistons.
Defence is still important
The Nuggets have sacrificed perhaps the best defensive player in the league to help turn their season around.
But that does not mean they can loosen the reins.
Dickel is a quality defender and he will lead the defensive effort in Payne's absence.
Carter gets a lot of steals and Polyblank is a reliable and experienced defender.
Bowdry will need to get up to speed quickly.
He looked lost during his league debut against the Wellington Saints on Saturday night but had only arrived in the country that morning.
He left Corey Webster too much space too often and will need to adjust quickly to the physical style of the league.
Bench press
Sam King has been leading the effort off the bench.
He made a strong start to the campaign but his confidence appears to have waned.
He is not having the same impact he was earlier in the season.
The Nuggets need the 2m forward back at his best.
When he is playing well, he has a lovely touch and is more than capable of knocking down three-pointers. He is also strong under the hoop.
The rest of the bench, to put it mildly, has been disappointing. Against the Saints, the Nuggets bench managed just five points, and King scored all of those.
Tony Tolovae was averaging 20 minutes earlier in the season but he has failed to seize his opportunities and played just four minutes in the 89-73 loss to the Saints.
Olly Smith is getting more of a run, but has been reluctant to put up shots.
The rest are role players and little more than warm bodies. But it is time they stepped up because the Nuggets' greatest weakness is a lack of depth.
Dickel
He is the key.
The former Tall Black started the season focused on his greatest strength - distributing the ball and running the plays.
He is the best in the league at that role, but it has been at the expense of an under-rated aspect of his game.
With his pace and ability to put the ball on the ground, he can still get to the hoop with ease.
If he gets fouled on the way, no problem, because he is a great free-throw shooter.
Dickel is going to have to take more responsibility on offence and get greedier.
That is a tough assignment for a pass-first point guard. But there have been signs, in the last few weeks, that he has realised he needs to hog the ball more. Long may it last.
He is in wonderful form.
