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Denver Nuggets: Five reasons the Nuggets are for real

By Dean Hasan

DENVER, COLORADO - FEBRUARY 12: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets brings the ball down the court against Avery Bradley #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter at Pepsi Center on February 12, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - FEBRUARY 12: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets brings the ball down the court against Avery Bradley #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the third quarter at Pepsi Center on February 12, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

1. The Denver Nuggets thrive in crunch time and against quality opponents

The playoffs always bring a heightened level of intensity, and with the win or go home mentality that permeates each game, NBA fans get to see who the grittiest of competitors are when the regular season comes to a close. Last season, the Denver Nuggets performed respectably in the playoffs, coming within a single game of their first Western Conference Finals appearance since the 2008-09 season. This year, Denver’s roster was tweaked slightly, however their current record is more or less the same as it was at this point last season.

While we won’t know how the Denver Nuggets will perform in the playoffs before they actually play, we can speculate about how they might stack up against other teams based on their play in the clutch this season. The NBA’s official stats hub defines clutch time as the last five minutes of a game where the point differential is five points or less.

Thus far, Denver has played 35 games in clutch time (third most in the league), and they own a .657 win rate which is good for fifth in the NBA. Moreover, if you only look at teams with at least a 30 game sample size, the Nuggets then rank third in clutch win percentage.

https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1223460481639251968

Save for the Bucks, the Nuggets own the best record in the league by win percentage against teams over .500. They’ve won 13 and lost nine such contests, putting them at a solid .591 win rate against these quality opponents. Moreover, thus far they’ve at the very least gone even on the season with playoff teams in both conferences.

In the West, the Nuggets are 1-0 against the Clippers, 2-0 against the Jazz, 2-1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, 1-1 against both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks, 2-2 against the Houston Rockets, and 1-2 against the Los Angeles Lakers. They’ll have a chance to even that season series on March 16th.

In the East, Denver is 1-0 against the Bucks, 1-0 against the Miami Heat, 2-0 against the Orlando Magic, 1-1 against the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, 76ers and Celtics, and while they’ve yet to face the Toronto Raptors this year, they were 2-0 against them last season.

Although the Nuggets’ records against these playoff teams in both conferences aren’t overwhelmingly dominant, it’s never a bad sign to at the very least split the season series against each of the top opponents that you face and will likely see again in the playoffs.

Next. Nuggets: 3 things to look forward to post-break. dark

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