Head Coach: Mike Malone (5th Season)
Record: 43-22 (3rd in Western Conference)
All-Stars: 1 (Nikola Jokic – 2nd)
Scoring Leaders: Nikola Jokic (20.2 PPG), Jamal Murray (18.8 PPG), Will Barton (15.1 PPG)
Rebounding Leaders: Jokic (10.2 RPG), Barton (6.3 RPG), Paul Millsap (5.9 RPG)
Assists Leaders: Jokic (6.9 APG), Murray (4.8 APG), Barton (3.7 APG)
Offense: 110.4 Points Scored/Game (20th)
Defense: 107.4 Points Allowed/Game (T-5th)
Key Wins: Lakers (128-104, Dec. 22), Clippers (114-104, Jan. 12), Bucks x2 (127-115, Jan. 31; 109-95, Mar. 9), Raptors (133-118, Mar. 1), Jazz x2 (106-100, Jan. 30; 98-95, Feb. 5), Thunder (110-102, Dec. 14), Rockets x2 (105-95, Nov. 20; 117-110, Jan. 26), Celtics (96-92, Nov. 22)
Season Summary: For the second straight season, the Nuggets have proven they belong among the best teams in the Western Conference. Mike Malone’s team was on pace to win 50 games and finish in a top three place in the West two years running when the season was halted. Denver currently sits a game and a half up on Utah for the third spot in the conference standings. The Nuggets are efficient on both ends of the floor, ranking in the top 12 in the NBA in both offensive and defensive rating. They hold opponents to just 107.4 points per game and share the ball extremely well, dishing out 26.5 assists per game, which is fourth-best in the NBA.
Nikola Jokic once again leads the way, and is the only player in the NBA to place in the top 10 of total rebounds and assists on the season. Between the Serbian big man and Canadian point guard Jamal Murray, the Nuggets have plenty of options to run the offense through. Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant have provided valuable floor spacing as stretch fours throughout the season.
Memorable Moment: There have been plenty of proud moments for the Nuggets this season, but their best effort of the year may have come on a night when few would have expected them to win. Playing in the second game of a back-to-back and with only seven players available after finalizing a four-team trade that sent Malik Beasley, Juancho Henangomez and Jarred Vanderbilt to Minnesota, the Nuggets went into Utah and earned a hard-fought 98-95 win. Nikola Jokic scored 30 points and grabbed 21 rebounds to go along with 10 assists, while Jamal Murray added 31 points of his own. It was a statement victory over their Rocky Mountain rivals, and came during a stretch of six victories in eight games.
Player to Watch: Nikola Jokic – The big man has been spectacular for the Nuggets once again this season, leading the team in all three major categories– scoring, rebounding and assists. He’s also mere percentage points behind Gary Harris for the team lead in steals (1.4 to 1.2). Not many seven-footers in the history of the game have led their team in assists in a season, but Jokic is looking to do it for the fourth straight year. The fifth-year pro from Serbia made his second career All-Star appearance in February, and he’s currently averaging a career-high in scoring (20.2 PPG) while shooting 52.8% from the floor.
