Nuggets behind two teams they beat in latest NBA Power Rankings
Jan 29, 2024, 12:23 PM
The Denver Nuggets are 3-1 this season against the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics.
They beat the Clippers in LA without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. They knocked off the Celtics in Boston, ending their perfect 20-0 record at home to start the year.
And Denver is 6-2 over its last eight games, despite spending 11 days on the road on a grueling five-game road trip.
Apparently, none of that matters all that much in the NBA Power Rankings.
In the league’s latest version released on Monday, Denver slots in at No. 3, behind the Clippers and Celtics. Los Angeles is No. 1 with their 30-14 record while Boston sits at No. 2 with a 35-11 mark. The Nuggets are 32-15 ahead of a huge showdown with the Bucks later tonight at Ball Arena.
Here’s part of what author John Schuhmann wrote about putting Denver at No. 3 in the rankings…
“The last two games have been rather disappointing, as they got clobbered in New York on Thursday (the final matchup of a five-game trip that didn’t include any back-to-backs) and faced the Sixers’ B Team two nights later.”
Look, Schumann makes a little bit of sense, but he doesn’t tell the full story. The air completely went out of the arena against the 76ers on Saturday after Joel Embiid bailed on the game 10 minutes before it was supposed to start. Head coach Michael Malone said as much after, and the whole thing had a different vibe after Embiid inexplicably dodged Nikola Jokic yet again.
The Nuggets crowd roasted him tremendously, but even that wasn’t enough to turn things into a blowout. Apparently Schumann wants style points, rather than victories. But let’s be honest, Philadelphia actually moved the ball better with Embiid in street clothes. It’s almost like not having to pad the stats of their egomaniac center made guys play more fluid.
Regardless, Power Rankings don’t win NBA titles, players do. And the Nuggets have the best starting-five in the NBA. The Clippers might be trendy now, but so were the Suns and Lakers last year. We all remember how those playoff series went.
