The Denver Nuggets missed the playoffs by a single game last year as they fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their final contest. The Nuggets will reverse their fate, making the 2018-19 NBA playoffs because of three factors.
Entrenched in the Target Center in their final game of the season, the Denver Nuggets allowed the Minnesota Timberwolves to end their six-game win streak, ending their playoff chances.
Led by 31 points from veteran guard Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves took advantage of the Nuggets’ youth in overtime, sending them home with a ninth-place Western Conference finish.
Plagued by their youth for much of the season, the Nuggets got rid of even more veterans in the offseason, dispatching Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur. The trio had combined for only 51 playoff games in their career, signaling their loss being lessened with the Nuggets’ goal of a postseason birth this year.
In their stead, the Nuggets’ lone addition, Isaiah Thomas, was brought in to provide a player that made his impact felt for the Boston Celtics, averaging 24.2 and 23.3 points in consecutive playoff runs.
Along with Thomas, these three keys will lead the Nuggets to their first playoff birth since the 2012-13 season.