The Denver Nuggets made an unexpected early exit in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Much was expected of the Mile High Team after their dominant 2023 championship run and Nikola Jokic's solidification of his case as the "best player in the league."
Although Denver did not have the best regular-season record in the league last campaign, they still finished at 57-25 and were tied with the OKC Thunder for the second-best record in the entire NBA. However, former Nugget Kentavious Caldwell-Pope says that their chase for the top seed in the Western Conference took a lot out of them, leaving the team running on fumes in the playoffs.
"Towards the playoffs, guys get their rest," said KCP during his appearance on The Draymond Green Show. "But I felt that's where we spent most of our energy that time, trying to get that first place and playing catch-up. When we got to the playoffs, we had no gas."
The best record after the All-Star break
The Nuggets were off to a relatively slow start to their title-retention bid last season. Denver entered the 2024 All-Star break on a three-game losing streak. Knowing how important homecourt advantage was during the 2023 title run, Mike Malone's boys went all out after the break.
Denver posted a 21-6 record after the All-Star break, tied with the Boston Celtics for the best in the league after the midseason classic. However, although they managed to overtake Minnesota and match the rising Thunder in the final Western Conference team standings, they had to settle for the No. 2 seed due to tiebreaker rules. They faced the Los Angeles Lakers , the team they beat in the 2023 WCF, in the first round, which was a struggle.
"We felt the Lakers should've beaten us," added KCP. "Like we were down every game. At least 10, like the highest one, was maybe 20-something. Taking that energy and using it there, so it was a lot that went into the season."
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Denver dominated the Lakers
Just as they dominated them in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets routed the Lakers 4-1 in their 2024 first-round playoff series. However, none of their wins were easy.
The Purple and Gold were always off to strong starts and took big leads in the first half of their game. Gassed and playing with shot legs, Denver had to dig deep to win the games. While LA failed to beat the Nuggets, they softened them up for their next opponents.
Denver faced an up-and-coming Minnesota team in the second round. Still reeling from their 'tough' matchup against the Lakers, the Nuggets lost the series' first two games on their home floor.
They then rallied to win the next three games to put the Wolves on the ropes. But the Timberwolves showed poise in winning Games 6 and 7 to oust the tired Nuggets as champions.
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