The Denver Nuggets (44-25) are tied for second-place in the Western Conference standings ahead of their Wednesday night matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers (42-25). Denver still has three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, but it is not the same team that won the 2023 NBA title.
While the Nuggets also still have Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon, their bench is different. Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are gone, and they each contributed defensively. Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook was added this offseason to bolster Denver's second unit, while also helping the Nuggets stay afloat while Jokic and Murray are off the floor.
Denver acquired the 2017 MVP after his buyout with the Utah Jazz following a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. His former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins had a strong message about the Nuggets ahead of their marquee matchup with Los Angeles.
"When you look at the win that they had with Russell Westbrook and Aaron Gordon leading the charge, it was kind of one of those 'Hey Coach Mike Malone, I'm here... You actually can run some sets for me without using Jokic,'" Perkins said. "That's the biggest concern when it comes down to the Denver Nuggets is what do those non-Jokic minutes look like?"
.@KendrickPerkins says the Nuggets are "sorry defensively." pic.twitter.com/YNaoudjEnX
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 19, 2025
"When you talk about the guys they lost from when they won the championship [Caldwell-Pope, Brown, Jeff Green]..." he continued. "All those guys were able to slide their puppies defensively. Right now this Denver Nuggets team, they couldn't guard the senior citizens at recess."
Caldwell-Pope and Brown averaged 1.3 and 1.1 steals in the 2023 playoffs, respectively, which ranked second and fourth on the team. Meanwhile, former All-Rookie First Teamer Jeff Green is now a Houston Rocket after coming off the Nuggets' bench from 2021-23.
The Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors (40-29) without Jokic (elbow/ankle) and Murray (ankle) on Monday night, proving that their depth can step up when needed. Westbrook had 12 points (5-18 FG, 2-9 3 PT) with 16 assists, 12 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
They not like Russ pic.twitter.com/WL9OG5CsQz
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 18, 2025
The Nuggets are tied for 18th in the NBA with a 114.7 defensive rating, and they ranked fourth with a 110.2 mark in the '23 playoffs, via NBA Advanced Stats. Comparing the regular season to the postseason isn't apples-to-apples, but it still shows a downgrade.
Jokic, Murray, and Christian Braun (foot) are all "questionable" to play on Wednesday, via the Nuggets.
Related: Nuggets Announce Jamal Murray News Before Lakers Game
Related: Bronny James Sends Strong Dalton Knecht Message After Nuggets Game
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 7:50 PM.