Can the Denver Nuggets weather the storm until Nikola Jokic returns?

 

                                             Credit: Sam Navarro/Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets will begin the New Year without their star big man Nikola Jokic, who hyperextended his left knee earlier in the week in a road game against the Miami Heat. Jokic's estimated date of return is February 1st, which means he is expected to miss all of January. The loss of Jokic for a full month is a real blow to the Nuggets as Jokic is averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 11 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Leading the league in rebounds and assists. He's having an MVP level season. 

The Nuggets at the moment are 23-10, which puts them at 3rd place in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Realistically, they could drop to the 7th spot in the Western Conference with Jokic being out given that the 7th place Phoenix Suns are just 4.0 games back of them at 19-14. Getting a top six seed is crucial in the playoffs given that seeds 7-10 go to the play-in tournament, which is basically the NBA's version of the wild card round. The Nuggets do not want to drop that low with Jokic out and they definitely want to maintain a top four seed (the 4th seeded Houston Rockets are just 1.5 games back at 20-10). 

As for what "weathering the storm" would look like, I think the Nuggets need to maintain a top six seed in the West until Jokic returns. They just need to makes sure that they don't slip into that play-in tournament territory. As long as they can do that, they should like their chances of rising in the standings once he returns and possibly regaining a top three or at least top four seed in the West. They should be feeling grateful that Jokic's season isn't over and that he's projected to return with plenty of season left. 

For the month of January, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are going to have to be the ones leading the way. Murray is averaging 25.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while Gordon is averaging 18.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The two of them are going to have pick up the slack in terms of scoring, rebounding, and facilitating. 

And then hey, it's really gonna be on the entire team to step up. A guy I covered at Stanford, Spencer Jones, is averaging 6.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game on 53.8% shooting from the field, 40.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 63.6% shooting from the foul line. He's been doing his part by making threes and playing good defense. With Jokic out, it's going to be even more important that guys like him do their jobs well. 

As legendary Denver sportswriter Woody Paige would advise us to do, let's quickly look at the schedule that the Nuggets have for January: at Cleveland Cavaliers (19-16), at Brooklyn Nets (10-20), at Philadelphia 76ers (17-14), at Boston Celtics (20-12), vs. Atlanta Hawks (16-19), vs. Milwaukee Bucks (14-20), at New Orleans Pelicans (8-27), at Dallas Mavericks (12-22), vs. Washington Wizards (8-24), vs. Charlotte Hornets (11-22), vs. Los Angeles Lakers (20-11), at Washington Wizards (8-24), at Milwaukee Bucks, at Memphis Grizzlies (15-18), vs. Detroit Pistons (25-8), vs. Brooklyn Nets, and vs. Los Angeles Clippers (11-21). 

Of those 17 games, 11 are against teams with losing records. That helps a lot. Getting the Nets and Bucks twice while also getting the Pelicans and Clippers is nice. In many ways, the biggest challenge is this upcoming four game Eastern Conference trip to face the Cavaliers, Nets, 76ers, and Celtics. If they can get a split on this trip, they should be feeling good when they come back home to face the Hawks and Bucks. 

Overall, I think the Nuggets will be fine provided Jokic does indeed return come February. The schedule is pretty light and I have confidence in Murray and Gordon as well as the rest of the team to do their job. Plus, being in 3rd place, the Nuggets have built a bit of a buffer to handle a stretch like this. They should certainly hope to get Jokic back as soon as possible, but having to play without him for a month isn't something they should be freaking out about, either. 

NBALord.com on X (Twitter): @nba_lord 

NBALord.com on Facebook: @NBALordNation 

NBALord.com on Bluesky: nbalorddotcom.bsky.social 

Ben Parker on Facebook, IG, Threads, X (Twitter), YouTube, and Bluesky: @slamdunk406 

Saturday Slam: Can the Denver Nuggets repeat in 2024?

 

                                                  (Credit: AP Photo/Ashley Landis) 

Earlier this summer, the Denver Nuggets won their first ever NBA championship, defeating the Miami Heat in five games. Nikola Jokic was named NBA Finals MVP, capping off a dominating season in which the Nuggets finished with the third best record in the NBA and best record in the Western Conference (53-29). 

While the Nuggets are still basking in their championship glory (as they should), it's never too early to ask whether or not this franchise has what it takes to repeat in 2024. Repeating as NBA champions is never easy, though in the NBA it's certainly a lot more doable than in the other major professional sports. Whenever an NBA team wins a championship, provided the team doesn't completely blow up like the Chicago Bulls did after the 1997-98 season, they have to be considered strong contenders to run it back. 

And building off that, unlike that Bulls team, this Nuggets team projects to have all their key pieces back for next season: Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter, Jr., and basically every other key contributor on their team is under contract for next season and beyond. That's important because we already know what this Nuggets team more or less will look like come opening night to start the 2023-24 season. 

On top of having all their key pieces back, what I think really bodes well for the Nuggets' chances to repeat is the simple fact that each season they keep getting better. They go deeper and deeper in the playoffs. Sometimes you find out a team has peaked and can't get any better. This Nuggets team isn't like that. They've now gone the distance and knowing they have what it takes, they should be even more confident next season. 

Finally, they just have so much depth. Jokic and Murray are a fantastic duo, Jokic playing like the best player on the planet, but in addition, they have really good pieces around them. They share the ball, play unselfishly, and play basketball the right way. They're a team that can win games even when one of their top two players is having an off night. 

While it's no guarantee the Nuggets will repeat in 2024, if we are just talking about their odds, they should definitely be the odds on favorite to win it all next year. After years of knocking on the door with no cigar, the Nuggets are now on top of the NBA and could stay on top for a while longer. 

NBA Lord on Twitter: @nba_lord 

NBA Lord on Facebook: @NBALordNation 

Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter: @slamdunk406 

          

Tomahawk Tuesday: How concerned should the Los Angeles Lakers be right now?

 

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 5th in the Western Conference standings, 8 games back of the top seeded Utah Jazz, 7 games back of the Phoenix Suns, 6 games back of their inner city rivals Los Angeles Clippers, and 4 games back of the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers have slipped back in the standings due to LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (calf) missing extended periods of time. James has played in 41 games this season while Davis has played in 26. Fortunately for the Lakers, Davis is now back, having played three games since his return. But James' return date is still up in the air. 

To the question at hand, the Lakers should be moderately concerned right now, but there's no reason to panic. They're the defending champs and at full strength, they should be favored to come out of the Western Conference. All four of the teams ahead of them are teams that have never won an NBA championship, which means all four of those teams still have a lot to prove. 

On top of that, some of those teams ahead of them are dealing with injury issues of their own. The Jazz have had to play without Donovan Mitchell for the past 10+ days or so due to his ankle injury and the Nuggets have lost Jamal Murray for the season due to a torn ACL. The Suns' Chris Paul has had injury issues in the past and the Clippers' Paul George likewise has found ways to get hurt in the playoffs. So, everyone is dealing with injuries right now or at least has the threat of injuries hurting their seasons. 

That all said, the Lakers still find themselves in a tricky spot. If they stay at the 5 spot, they'll likely have to win the championship without home court advantage in every series they play in. Home court advantage is crucial in the NBA and to not have it puts your team at a real disadvantage. Plus, they have no shot at winning the title without James and Davis healthy. If those guys go down again come playoff time, it's game over. 

I'm confident that James will be fine in the playoffs. He's rarely shut down like this and I suspect part of this is just being overly cautious for the playoffs. But Davis has had real injury issues for his entire career, which is why I was skeptical of their title chances a year ago. So, he's definitely one to watch throughout the duration of the season. 

The bottom line is the Lakers still are the slight favorites to come out of the Western Conference in my book, but they have their work cut out for them and none of the teams ahead of them are going to back down without putting up a real fight. The Jazz, Suns, and Clippers in particular see an opening here and have to be motivated to see a wounded Lakers team currently chasing them. It'll be interesting to see how they finish the season and whether or not the Lakers will be able to gain some ground before the playoffs start. 

To connect with NBA Lord on Twitter, click here. 

To connect with NBA Lord on Facebook, click here. 

To connect with Ben Parker, click here. 

Tomahawk Tuesday: The Denver Nuggets are Mannheim Steamrolling into Christmas

                                         (Credit: Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) 


As we head into Christmas Day, the Denver Nuggets have the hottest winning streak in the NBA, having won seven games in a row. They're now 21-8 and currently second in the Western Conference behind the 24-6 Los Angeles Lakers. On Christmas Day, they'll look to make it eight wins a row as they have the 8-23 New Orleans Pelicans coming to town. That game will close the NBA's five-game Christmas Day special.

Considering what we saw from the Nuggets last season, their success shouldn't be a surprise. They have five players scoring in double figures and two legitimate All-Star level players in Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. When you combine that kind of balance with All-Star talent, you have a recipe for success.

The only question for the Nuggets is whether or not Murray and Jokic are both ready to lead a team to a championship. They've proven their worth in the regular season but are still yet to prove their worth come playoff time. Like all young duos, they have to go through the fire and have their breakthrough moment. While their moment hasn't come yet, I have a feeling it's coming soon.

If you are tempted to skip out on Christmas Day's Nuggets/Pelicans game because it isn't as flashy as Lakers/Clippers, please reconsider your decision. The Nuggets are playing really good basketball and are putting themselves in a good position to get home court advantage through much of the NBA playoffs. If you're going to be sitting around the television Christmas night, please turn on the Nuggets and see basketball being played the right way. You won't regret it.

To connect with NBA Lord on Twitter, click here. 

To connect with NBA Lord on Facebook, click here. 

To connect with Ben Parker, click here. 

Saturday Slam: Can the Denver Nuggets recover from Friday?

                                         (Credit: AP-Craig Mitchelldyer) 

On Friday, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Denver Nuggets 140-137 in an epic quadruple-overtime thriller to go up 2-1. It was the second quadruple-overtime game in NBA playoff history and the first since 1953. While it was an absolutely surreal win for the Trail Blazers, it was an equally stinging loss for the Nuggets, who despite battling valiantly found themselves on the short end of the stick.

History tells us that the Trail Blazers will build on this emotional win and carry that into Sunday, likely resulting in a 3-1 series lead. It's very tough for teams in the Nuggets' position to shift things back in their favor. When you lose a game like they did on Friday, it's very hard to put it behind you and focus on the next game.

That all said, I'm not here to write about why the Nuggets are toast or why this series is over. It's not. I'm actually here to write about the exact opposite. Why the Nuggets can still win this series.

First off, I felt like there were good odds of this series going seven games when it began. Both teams are pretty evenly matched and while the Trail Blazers have more playoff experience than the Nuggets, it's not like they've been making deep runs over the years. They've typically been a team that maybe wins a series before getting eliminated in the second round, so for both teams, a trip to the Western Conference Finals would be entering uncharted territory.

Secondly, as good as the Trail Blazers played on Friday, the Nuggets were right there with them. Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, and Jamal Murray have all shown that they're ready to shine on the big stage. They're not afraid to take big shots and have done an admirable job of leading their team. They seem like a pretty resilient bunch that is more than capable of bouncing back from a tough loss.

Third, all the Nuggets need is one win in Portland to reclaim home court. With how this series has gone, it's hard to see the Trail Blazers winning all three games at home to close this series out in six games. The law of averages seems to be on the Nuggets' side that if you give them three games in Portland, they're bound to get at least one win. If the Nuggets are able to reclaim home court advantage and force a game seven in Denver, I think odds are good they'll win.

As much as momentum is in favor of the Trail Blazers right now, it would be foolish to rule out this Nuggets team. They're too talented to discount and it wouldn't be surprising at all for them to win on Sunday to tie things up 2-2 or even win a game six in Portland to force a game seven. This series still projects to have more twists and turns, giving the Nuggets ample opportunity to reach the Western Conference Finals.

To connect with NBA Lord on Twitter, click here. 

To connect with NBA Lord on Facebook, click here. 

To connect with Ben Parker, click here.