Don’t Write This Denver Nuggets Team Off Just Yet

The Denver Nuggets have kept their playoff hopes alive after blowing out the defending champs on Wednesday night.

After the Denver Nuggets lost back-to-back games to the Houston Rockets, they found themselves with their backs against the wall. The Nuggets’ lead over Portland for the final playoff spot had suddenly been cut down to just a half-game entering play on Tuesday.

With Denver having a significantly tougher schedule down the stretch, things were not looking good for the Nuggets.

Denver needed a little help, and a bounce-back win in the worst way. Unexpectedly, they got both. First, the Milwaukee Bucks did Denver a solid by narrowly defeating the Trail Blazers 93-90 on Tuesday.

Then, the Nuggets did themselves a solid by blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

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If there is a brand of basketball that the Nuggets want to play, it’s what they put on display Wednesday night. Denver scored 126 points on 53.1 percent shooting, while assisting on 35 of their 51 field goals.

With Wilson Chandler finally returning to the starting lineup, Denver had some much needed depth off the bench.

Denver Nuggets

Chandler’s return meant that Kenneth Faried and Juan Hernangomez could team up with the second-unit backcourt of Emmanuel Murray and Will Barton. This finally gave Denver two formidable lineups.

Four starters hit double digits in scoring, while three players did the same off the bench.

It’s the style of play that Denver tries to bring every night, but on Wednesday something was different. Chandler’s return was important, but it wasn’t his re-introduction that gave the game a different feel. Something was missing.

Since Dec. 15, the Nuggets have lead the NBA in offensive rating, while only Golden State has put up more assists per 100 possessions. They almost always bring their A-game on offense, but it’s usually accompanied by too many turnovers.

Since that same date, the Nuggets have averaged 14.4 turnovers per 100 possessions.

To be fair, turnovers are to be expected from a young, pass-heavy team like Denver. With the right roster, they can also be overcome. Unfortunately, Denver isn’t one of those teams.

Golden State is turning it over at the same exact rate as the Nuggets are. They have a slightly worse offense rating since that date as well. So what’s the difference? The Warriors are a great defensive team.

The Denver Nuggets on the other hand, are not.

Since Nikola Jokic became a starter, the Nuggets have had the lowest-rated defense in the league. Teams like Golden State and Utah can survive all of their turnovers because of their stifling team D. The Nuggets don’t have that same defensive ability.

In Wednesday’s game against LeBron James and the Cavs, the Nuggets only turned it over six times and it likely won them the game.

Denver played solid team defense, but when playing against a team like Cleveland, the best defense is keeping the ball out of their hands. The Nuggets are giving up 18.5 points per game off turnovers, but on Wednesday they only allowed seven such points.

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This is the winning formula for Denver.

Even after the momentous win though, fivethirtyeight.com projects the Nuggets as only having a 38 percent chance of qualifying for the postseason. This makes sense, as the schedule is tough and the Trail Blazers are hot.

In truth, the Nuggets are more like the team we saw against Houston than Cleveland–capable of running with the league’s best offenses, but still susceptible to brutal turnovers and defensive lapses in close games.

This team is far from complete, but they are not lacking in confidence. That confidence was on full display in the third quarter when Jokic turned to face the basket and noticed none other than King James guarding him.

Jokic is the league’s best passing center and there’s nowhere he loves to pass from more than the high post. But Jokic didn’t pass. With a confidence that few in this league could muster, Jokic went straight to work on the King. He backed him all the way to the paint and finished with a jump hook.

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This final playoff push will be a challenge, but if we learned anything last night, the Denver Nuggets are not afraid of anyone or anything. If they can play like they did against Cleveland, then it doesn’t matter who their opponents are. Don’t write this team off just yet.