The time before the NBA postseason is often a time for gamesmanship. Teams sacrifice wins now for better matchups in the playoffs. There are times when squads rest their key players or limit their minutes to allow opponents to take a victory they need more while letting them rest their players for what is likely to be a long postseason. 

Thus, at a time when teams are scheming with and against one another, all the Denver Nuggets seem to care about is winning and winning alone. 

Yes Nikola Jokic only played 18 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs, but he still worked his magic in getting the rest of the Nuggets in rhythm while also managing to inflict damage in that span of time. It further added to the notion that the personnel Denver puts out there doesn’t matter so much so long as they work within the system; the ball will eventually find them thanks to Jokic’s all-world ability.  

The victory over the Spurs allowed the Nuggets to take the third seed in the Western Conference Playoffs and a first-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves for the third time in four years. When both teams last faced off, it was the Wolves that had the last laugh on Denver in the thrilling seven-game series. 

Things will be different beyond the obvious: the composition of both rosters is different even if the star power remains. The supporting cast is different, but the Nuggets are entering with something to prove. The series loss to Minnesota felt like a slap in the face for Denver, who came into that series as the proud defending champions. It may have been the first domino in the eventual firing of Mike Malone and the Nuggets roster you see now is an attempt to bounce back and remain competitive. 

But Denver continues to run through Jokic, who remains a surefire MVP candidate when healthy. Yes he gets his teammates involved and helps them churn out supernova performances, but Jokic’s greatest contributions come when he creates mismatches where there once was none and maximizes these opportunities for easy points and assists. 

However, the Nuggets’ postseason fate could hinge on Jamal Murray. 

Murray made his first NBA All-Star appearance this season and while Jokic has the mammoth numbers, it’s the former Kentucky Wildcat that performs in the clutch. When he’s not healthy, Jokic is forced to do more and as crunch time means tighter defenses, Denver has struggled to finish games strong on a consistent basis. 

With a handful of days before their postseason begins, the Denver Nuggets’ stars can rest and plan accordingly for what will be a big battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are not the type to dodge opponents and they’ll happily face their tormentors just the same as if they took on an “easier” opponent. Wins are the only agenda for them and the path to redemption begins with making a statement from the first round.