It’s been an up-and-down season for the Denver Nuggets. They started 20-6, then went 22-22 in their next 44 games, and now ride a four-game winning streak, sitting at fourth in the west! Despite the inconsistencies, it feels premature to say they have no shot to win it all.
The Nuggets’ defensive struggles are well-documented. That side of the ball is a reason why more people don’t believe in them. Offensively, however, they’re an absolute powerhouse.
Denver ranks first in offensive rating at 121.9 and first in points per game with 121.1 points per game. The team also leads the league in three-point percentage and is in the top 10 in assists per game. They fill up the box score like no others.
The most impressive part is that the Nuggets can do this against the league’s best defenses. They have averaged 119.3 points per game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their three matchups. For context, OKC allows 107.6 points per game this season, and that number drops if we filter out Denver.
The Nuggets have also dealt with a plethora of injuries. Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson, Cam Johnson, and Christaun Braun have all missed double-digit games. For this team to still have the best offense in the league is a testament to coaching and their bench scoring.
It’s a popular opinion to criticize David Adelman after every game, and some of it may be fair. One thing that cannot be denied is his ability to steady the ship when the team missed all of its starters.
This duo alone is a good enough reason not to count Denver out. A prime example was their performance against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Joker had 21 points, 20 rebounds, and 19 assists while Murray was lighting it up everywhere on the court, ending with 53 points. That was the first time in NBA history when a player had 50+ points, and another teammate had 20+ 15+ 15+ in the same game. The duo continues to be historic.
Another crazy fact is that it’s hard to knock out the Nuggets in a series when both of them are healthy. Denver has only lost one series by less than seven games when Jokic and Murray have both played. That was the 2020 Western Conference Finals.
Other than that, it has taken the opposition seven games to put this Nuggets team down. For the people who think they will get swept or beaten in five in one of the early rounds, think again.
Denver, as mentioned above, struggles historically on the defensive end. Those major struggles only last in the regular season, believe it or not. Here are some interesting numbers since the 2022 season.
The 2022-2023 Nuggets had a defensive rating of 114.2 in the regular season, which was middle of the pack. That number jumped to 110.8, which was good for third in the entire tournament.
In 2023-2024, Denver was a very good defensive team, with a 113.0 defensive rating, which ranked eighth. The defensive rating slightly went up to 112.8 in the postseason. The jump wasn’t too high, as the team was already good on that end.
The 2024-2025 Nuggets were not good at all defensively. They were ranked 22nd in defensive rating at 116.0. They went from bad to average, going to 115.1 in that postseason.
The jumps might not always be high, but improvement is shown, and it just seems like maybe this Denver team is more equipped for playoff basketball.
Should these Nuggets be the favorites? Not at all. The Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and even the Los Angeles Lakers have shown more in this regular season.
Should Denver be dismissed as a contender? Absolutely not. When you have the best player in the world and dynamite at point guard, it’s not going to be easy to blow out their flames.
Just keep an eye out for these Nuggets this postseason, especially now that the team is fully healthy.
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