The Denver Nuggets have been a Western Conference powerhouse for years.They have made the playoffs in seven straight seasons, and they won the NBA championship in 2023. They have also made it to the Conference Finals and head coach David Adelman has one of the most consistent teams in the league in his first full season as the team's bench boss.
He has a cast of stars that is capable of rising up and asserting themselves in the playoffs, but the Nuggets have not played at that level during the regular season.
Denver has 10 games remaining in the season and they sit tied for 4th place with the Minnesota Timberwolves. While there was little reason to think that Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon were going to lead the Nuggets past the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the regular season and gain the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, they certainly have the talent and the all around game to take the No. 2 seed. However, they have been bypassed by the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers. As a result, they are left fighting for homecourt advantage against the Timberwolves.
Earning home-court advantage is vital for the Nuggets
If there are no changes in the standings, the Nuggets and the Timberwolves will meet in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Based on their records and the way each team has played this season, a Denver-Minnesota series has all the makings of a seven-game battle.
It might be the best thing for the Nuggets, because Jokic would be forced to concentrate on the business at hand. He is a sharp leader and has been throughout his spectacular 11-year career with the Nuggets. The Joker is a brilliant all-around center, but he is also a passionate race horse owner and he can be distracted by the biggest races because he loves that sport so much.
The battle between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves would feature Jokic going up against Julius Randle, and those two big men would almost certainly have a war of attrition as they battle for key rebounds and position under the boards. Jokic is the better player and would probably gain the edge, but he would need Murray to get the job done against Anthony Edwards. Murray is certainly a dynamic player and the challenge of facing Edwards would probably bring out his best effort, but Edwards would likely have the edge in the end.
Jokic and Murray have impressive numbers
Jokic is averaging 28.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, 10.6 assist and 1.5 steals per game. Murray is clearly a sensational partner in crime with his 25.1 points and 7.1 assists per game. Edwards is averaging 29.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Timberwolves, while Randle is scoring 21.0 points and bringing down and 6.8 rebounds per game.
That's why finishing in fourth place and gaining home-court advantage is vital for the Nuggets. If they slip down the stretch and Minnesota gets the edge, it would be a nightmare for the Nuggets.
Nuggets could also fall behind the Rockets and slip to 6th place
The Nuggets had just a one-half game lead over the sixth-place Houston Rockets heading into Wednesday's schedule. If the Rockets pass the Nuggets and Denver ends up in sixth place, a matchup with the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers would be at hand. The Lakers have won nine of their last 10 games and slowing down Luka Doncic would clearly the top priority for the Nuggets defense. Doncic is averaging 33.4 points per game and he is connecting on 47.4 percent of his shots.
Austin Reaves and LeBron James are vital cogs in the Lakers offense as they are averaging 23.5 and 21.0 points per game, respectively. The Lakers are playing their best basketball of the season and the matchup would be a difficult one for the Nuggets. It's not just about Jokic and Murray if the Nuggets are going to get past the first round.
They will need quite a bit of production from Gordon, Peyton Watson and Tim Hardaway Jr. if they are going to get past the Lakers. Gordon is contributing 16.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, while Watson and Hardaway are averaging 14.9 and 13.8 points, respectively.
Falling to sixth place and meeting the Lakers could be another nightmarish scenario for the Nuggets.
It almost certainly won't get any worse than that for the Nuggets. They have a four-game lead over the seventh-place Phoenix Suns, and that's something that Jokic & Co. want to avoid. A seventh-place finish means participating in the Western Conference Play-In tournament, and that would almost mean a loss to the Spurs if they won the first Play-In game.
The surviving No. 7 seed would meet a rested No. 2 seed in the first round, and that would be a nightmare for the Nuggets. It's very unlikely that fate will befall the team, but it is within the realm of possibility.
