Game Results
Sacramento Kings 116, Denver Nuggets 100
Denver Nuggets 129, Brooklyn Nets 109
Memphis Grizzlies 105, Denver Nuggets 98
Power Rankings
ESPN (Marc Stein)
Current: 17
Last week: 14
Not gonna lie. Sunday night's loss for the Nuggets to visiting Memphis was a crusher for the Committee as much as anyone. Reason being: Had Denver pulled out the W, Nuggets rising star Nikola Jokic was all lined up to join us on our annual Better Than The Oscars edition of the "NBA Insiders" on ESPN Radio. But the stubborn Grizz wouldn't let it happen, taking advantage of Denver's 30th-ranked defense to drop the hosts to an unsightly 8-20 against teams with .500-or-better records. Jokic's development has certainly been one of the stories of the season, but it's impossible to miss the fall of Emmanuel Mudiay that's also underway. Jameer Nelson and Jamal Murray are getting all the PG minutes in Denver's playoff push.
NBA (John Schuhmann)
Current: 18
Last week: 16
Nikola Jokic has been the brightest star of the Nuggets' six guys under the age of 23, but the other guy they got in the 2014 Draft has been a big plus of late. While Jokic came out of the break slowly, Gary Harris picked up where he left off and has averaged 19.6 points on 52 percent shooting (making 25 of his 49 3-point attempts) over his last seven games. The Nuggets have scored 122 points per 100 possessions with Harris and Jokic on the floor together in that stretch, but their bench was pretty terrible as they lost to the Kings and Grizzlies last week. With Emmanuel Mudiay out of the rotation, they've been using Jamal Murray as their back-up point guard.
Sport’s Illustrated (Jeremy Woo)
Current: 17
Last week: 16
Was holding onto all their chips the right move? The Nuggets kept Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried (again!) even with Gallo headed for free agency, Chandler itching to get out of Denver and Faried relegated to a bit role behind surprise star Nikola Jokic. If they hang onto the eighth seed, cool. But it’s gonna suck if they lose a guy like Gallinari for nothing.
CBS Sports (Matt Moore)
Current: 18
Last week: 20
It's been a month since the nuggets have won two games in a row. They've had ample opportunities to build a stable lead for the 8th seed, but squandered too many easy games without being able to steal any either. Their hold on the last playoff spot in the West feels more like a temporary holding pattern.
Podcasts
Locked on Nuggets: What Boogie in New Orleans means for Denver’s playoff hopes
Locked on Nuggets: Around the team in 30 minutes
Locked on Nuggets: The 11th hour
Locked on Nuggets: Trade deadline post-mortem
Locked on Nuggets: Anticlimactic
Locked on Nuggets: Weekend Summit with Jeff Morton, Harrison Wind and Christian Clark
Locked on Nuggets: A slump, fatigue and a missed opportunity
Colorado Sports Guys: Paul George, Jimmy Butler the crown jewels of NBA trade deadline
Colorado Sports Guys: Nuggets add Roy Hibbert at NBA trade deadline
Pickaxe Podcast: Evan and Ryan join the show
Articles
Veteran players – not Nikola Jokic – must lead Nuggets to playoffs
Paul Klee, Colorado Springs Gazette
Nikola Jokic is suddenly one of the best young NBA players of all time
Kyle Wagner, FiveThirtyEight
The evolution of Nikola Jokic
Mike Schmitz, DraftExpress
Which NBA team should want the eighth seed out West?
Chris Almeida, The Ringer
The next 10 games will define the Denver Nuggets’ entire season
Ronnie Kohrt, Mile High Sports
In Jokic, Nuggets ends run of Euro draft busts
Mark Knudson, Coloradoan
The Trade Deadline Mailbag
Bill Simmons, The Ringer
Nuggets steadily strengthening home-court advantage at Pepsi Center as key stretch looms
Nick Kosmider, Denver Post
Born of a new Eastern Europe, Nikola Jokic leads a generation to NBA stardom
Leo Sepkowitz, Bleacher Report
Nikola Jokic: A true Denver ‘Nugget’
Eric Spyropolous, 16 Wins A Ring
