Sensational streak has many talking up the Nuggets’ chances.
In a season where the Miami Heat are breaking records, both collective and individual, you would be forgiven for missing the Denver Nuggets’ own impressive form.
George Karl’s men began the season with a less than impressive 18-16 record, and were predicted to be in the midst of the battle for the seventh and eighth play-off spots in the Western Conference.
Fast forward to the final few weeks of the regular season, and Denver have transformed into an unstoppable monster that recorded its 13th consecutive win on Tuesday night.
The win came against reigning Western Conference champions the Oklahoma City Thunder, on their home court no less, where they boast a 30-4 record ahead of Tuesday’s game.
Not even a 30-plus points game from Kevin Durant was enough to quieten the Denver roar, as they built on a run which has seen them go 29-6 in their last 35 games.
What made the win even more remarkable was that the Nuggets haven’t excelled on the road, enjoying greater success at the Pepsi Center where they have the joint best record in the NBA along with Miami at 30-3.
Their form heading into the final stretch of the regular season will now be vital as they chase down both the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers, should they attain home-court advantage for the opening round of the play-offs their hopes will be boosted dramatically.
Following the welcome addition of Andre Iguodala in the off-season, the Nuggets have gone from strength to strength as the campaign has gone on, and the question they now face is how far can they go.
They average an NBA-best 57.8 points per game in the paint, taking advantage of the likes of Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee, but questions remains over their half-court game, especially on the road.
There will still be doubts until they reach the play-offs and show what they are capable of, but this latest win has taken their record to 9-4 against the top four teams in the West.
Having silenced the Thunder, they have a relatively easy route to securing their own 16-game winning streak. The Nuggets then face San Antonio, and should they produce a performance similar to that on Wednesday, then they may well be heading into the play-offs as the most feared team in the West.
COMMENTS