The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of falling out of the playoff picture. Their tough February schedule could determine their postseason future.
The Denver Nuggets are in the middle of an up-and-down season. The team has not put together a winning streak longer than three games. On the other hand, they have not lost more than three games in a row either.
The team has hovered around the .500 mark for virtually the entire season. While many expected better after the Nuggets barely missed out on the playoffs and a .500 record last season, they have also been without Paul Millsap for most of the season.
While Millsap could potentially return soon for the Nuggets, the team also has a tough stretch ahead regardless of his status. The Nuggets have played the seventh-easiest schedule in the league thus far, per Basketball-Reference.
However, that is about to change in a hurry. Denver has a brutal upcoming schedule in February, and its ability to weather that storm will be a huge determining factor in the team’s playoff chances.
Tough times ahead
The Denver Nuggets have managed to hold it together despite losing their second-best player in mid-November. Paul Millsap may have been new to the team, but he is still enough of a defensive force that he revitalized the Nuggets on that end of the floor. However, even a return to play from Millsap might not be enough to carry the team through its rough February schedule.
The Nuggets will face just two teams (the Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns) in February that are currently below .500. They have games against all three of the top seeds in the West and will have to battle two of those teams twice in their 10 February contests.
The All-Star break will provide some much-needed rest in the midst of a brutal schedule. Nonetheless, the uptick in difficulty in the team’s schedule could not come at a worse time for the Nuggets. The team had managed to stay on course for the playoffs despite missing a crucial piece for most of that time, but a miserable February schedule could be enough to finally knock them off course.
Future outlook
While the Denver Nuggets’ brutal slate of games in February could be enough to derail the season, this stretch of games could also be a rallying point for a team that has struggled to remain consistent all season. With Jamal Murray picking up the pace in recent weeks, the Nuggets could fight their way through this difficult stretch.
The real X-factor, however, will be the potential return of Paul Millsap. The original timeline after his injury indicated a return date of some time after the All-Star break, and he does appear to be on track to return then, per Harrison Wind of BSN Denver.
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While Millsap will obviously take some time to return to game shape, he can improve the Nuggets dramatically on both ends of the floor. His return to full health should help the Nuggets close the season out on a high note. If they can weather the storm through the month of February and stay in playoff contention, Millsap should be able to help them make it the rest of the way.