MILWAUKEE — By the time the Nuggets hit the court against the Milwaukee Bucks in their second game after the all-star break, they’ll already know whether they are officially past the Andre Miller era.

And if he is dealt by 1 p.m. Thursday, the NBA’s trade deadline, it will go down as one of the most challenging deals Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly ever made.

Connelly is dealing from a position of no leverage, so the Nuggets are getting one-sided offers. Miller has wanted out of town since an episode Jan. 1, when he publicly ripped coach Brian Shaw during a game against Philadelphia.

The veteran point guard has not been around the team since, while the Nuggets have tried to move him. But as of Wednesday, they weren’t close to a deal.

It gets trickier if the Nuggets can’t deal him by the deadline. Neither Miller nor the Nuggets want him to stay. Instead, the Nuggets would be forced to waive him. If he clears waivers, he would be free to negotiate with any team.

In part because of that, other NBA teams can hold a hard line with deals in their favor, figuring they could just claim him off waivers or, if he cleared, could sign him outright as a free agent.

Meanwhile, the players who are on the court look to build off a good-effort performance in an overtime loss to Phoenix on Tuesday night.

“We’re not trying to take a consolation prize,” Nuggets forward J.J. Hickson said. “But we’re happy with the fact that we played as hard as we did for a long time.”

The Nuggets have lost five consecutive games. Their last win was over the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 5. Since then, they’ve lost games and players — point guard Ty Lawson is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game with a fractured rib.

“Every night is a game we have to win,” guard Jordan Hamilton said. “So we’ve just got to continue to grind and continue to play hard and play smart.”

Guard Evan Fournier called the latest bout of losing “very frustrating. We have to be motivated. It doesn’t matter what kind of game we played (Tuesday). We’re going to be motivated. We’re going to play hard.”

DENVER AT MILWAUKEE

6 p.m. Thursday, ALT; 104.3 FM, 950 AM

Spotlight on Caron Butler: The oft-injured Butler returned from a high ankle sprain Tuesday and lit up Orlando with seven 3-pointers off the bench in the Bucks’ victory. Butler has been in and out of the lineup.

NOTEBOOK

Nuggets: Point guard Ty Lawson is listed as doubtful with a broken rib that has sidelined him for three consecutive games. However, Lawson said he’s out. … The Nuggets have lost six of their last seven road games. … Jordan Hamilton is averaging 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in his last three games.

Bucks: The Bucks will be without Larry Sanders, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds in the previous meeting between the teams. He’s out with a broken orbital bone. … The Bucks are 3-7 in their last 10 games against the Nuggets at the Bradley Center.

Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post