NBA Power Rankings Week 6: Are the Los Angeles Lakers on top?

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 30: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers disputes a personal foul called against him during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on January 30, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Lakers defeat the Celtics 96-95. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Previous: 7th. Denver Nuggets. 6. team. 73. . 11-8

Last Week: Beat Dallas Mavericks 117-113, Beat Miami Heat 109-82, Lost to San Antonio Spurs 119-109

This Week: 1/31 vs. Utah Jazz, 2/1 vs. Detroit Pistons 2/4 at Los Angeles Lakers, 2/6 at Sacramento Kings

The loss against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night ended a five-game winning streak for the Denver Nuggets but that does not change that they are back on track. Michael Porter Jr. being back in the lineup is a revelation for the Nuggets and is the type of change that has them back on the level of the league’s elites.

Over the last week, Porter was the second-leading scorer on the team (18.7 points per game) and was the picture of basic efficiency. He shot 57.1 percent from the field and a scorching 57.9 percent on 6.3 3-point attempts per game. He balances out the roles for this team in a way that could not be solved without him.

Denver continues to be mentioned in trade rumors for every name that comes up on the market. It seems likely that they will go all-in on pushing their championship window wide open before long. Porter has acquitted himself well as an essential piece in any sort of superstar trade should the team choose to pursue that route. Otherwise, he could be an essential piece for the team moving forward. The next few weeks leading up to the season’s halfway point will be telling about the next steps the Nuggets should take.