The Denver Nuggets entered this NBA season with a lot of buzz as potential championship contenders, a belief that only grew when they managed to hold their ground during Nikola Jokic's 16-game absence due to a knee injury. Yet, recent performances have thrown a wrench in those aspirations, with the team dropping six of their last nine games. The latest setback came in a 128-117 loss to a severely undermanned Golden State Warriors squad missing stars like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
The Nuggets' defense allowed the Warriors to shoot an impressive 51.1% from the field and drain 21 of 52 from beyond the arc, while also dishing out a staggering 42 assists. On the offensive end, Denver struggled, hitting just eight of their 31 attempts from three-point range.
After the game, Jokic didn't hold back his concerns, emphasizing the need for change. "I'm definitely concerned because we are losing the games.
We are not creating open looks," he said. "I don't know what it is, but we need to figure it out."
Currently sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, the Nuggets find themselves 5.5 games behind the second-place San Antonio Spurs. The gap to the sixth-place Minnesota Timberwolves is only a single game, putting Denver at risk of slipping into the play-in tournament if they can't turn things around.
Despite Jokic's impressive averages of 28.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 10.5 assists per game, and Jamal Murray's career-high 25.5 points and 7.5 assists, the Nuggets have defensive issues to address. They lead the league in points per game, offensive rating, and three-point shooting, but their defense ranks 22nd. Over the last nine games, they've been allowing 120 points per contest, with five of those losses by seven points or fewer.
This is a team that tasted championship glory just three seasons ago, yet February has been a stark reminder of the challenges that lie ahead. Their upcoming schedule is daunting, with matchups against the Boston Celtics, defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and a grueling six-game stretch featuring the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
How the Nuggets navigate this stretch could very well define their season and their hopes of reclaiming the NBA title come June.