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Nuggets Power Rankings Review: Denver takes slight dip following brief skid

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Despite a brief two-game losing streak, the Nuggets still sit at 39-18, good for second place in the Western Conference. After having to deal with injuries throughout the rotation over the past month, Denver has enjoyed a clean bill of health over the past two games.

Now, the focus shifts to head coach Michael Malone and his tinkering of the rotation over the next 25 games. For a Nuggets team looking to make another deep playoff run in the spring, finding the right mix of players during the stretch run of the regular season is crucial.

With a schedule full of road games and quality opponents throughout March, the Nuggets will get plenty of tests before they reach the postseason. As we review the national media power rankings this week, it’s clear that while Denver has maintained its spot against the other elite teams, there are more expectations for this team moving forward.

What they said: The Nuggets are finally at full strength -- generally speaking -- for the first time since Jan. 6. With injuries splattered throughout the roster, they weathered a difficult schedule, and they seem to be set up to push with momentum into the postseason. Coach Mike Malone is going to have to sort through some rotational questions, which likely will be as much of an objective as securing the No. 2 seed.

What they said: Denver is one of just five teams that have a positive net rating against the league's top 10 in net rating. The Boston Celtics (plus-7.0), Milwaukee Bucks (plus-2.5), Houston Rockets (plus-1.9) and Los Angeles Lakers (plus-0.9) are the only teams ahead of the Nuggets (plus-0.5).

This squad shows up for big games and is led by a bona fide superstar in Nikola Jokic.
For the fourth time in his career, Jokic has a box plus/minus over 7.0. Only 12 players in NBA history have had more in an entire career. Charles Barkley, LeBron James and Michael Jordan are the only other players who had four in their first five seasons.

With a historically great player and a deep supporting cast, maybe it shouldn't be all that surprising that the Nuggets are in that group outlined above. Some may be hesitant to take them seriously due to the market they're in or their relative inexperience, but this team has the ingredients for title contention.

What they said: Great job taking care of Minnesota on Sunday, but you’re supposed to do that if you’re Denver. In fact, they kind of let that thing stay too close. Wasn’t the dominant performance I wanted to see following that loss to Oklahoma City. They’ve still won nine of their last 12 games, but I want to see this team start really blowing the bad teams out of the water. They have it in them.

What they said: The Nuggets got their starting lineup back together last week, and they outscored the Thunder and Wolves by 22 points in 54 minutes with at least four of the starters on the floor over the weekend. Nikola Jokic totaled 56 points on an amazing 23-for-29 shooting over the two games, Paul Millsap scored a season-high 25 points on Sunday, and Gary Harris even made some shots against the Wolves.