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10 bold predictions for 2018-19 NBA season

By Gerald Bourguet

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images /
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Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images /

10. Denver Nuggets earn the 3-seed out West

The Denver Nuggets may have missed the playoffs last year, but it came down to the last day of the regular season, they posted a 46-36 record despite Paul Millsap missing 44 games, and they were only three games behind the third-place Portland Trail Blazers in the standings.

The playoff window in the Western Conference is suffocatingly tight, but if Millsap can stay healthy, this team could very easily win 50-plus games and sneak by the Utah Jazz as the on-the-rise dark horse that steals the 3-seed.

According to NBA.com, the four-man lineup of Millsap, Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray posted an excellent 102.5 defensive rating. That came in only 414 minutes, but the Nuggets were already an elite offense. With another year of growth for the young core, even a serviceable defense could elevate Denver to just below contender status out West.