Are Denver Nuggets lock for a playoff spot? Let's find out.
The NBA regular season is in its final stretch, with most teams having around 10-12 games left. Playoff projections are taking shape as teams fight for seeding and Play-In spots.
As in Denver, the Nuggets have the second best record in the Western Conference. A tight race between Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies for the home advantage in the playoffs. Another team is leaping up the ladders, the Golden State Warriors, 15-3 in the Curry-Butler era. Let’s look at the Denver Nuggets playoff picture in detail.
With the number one seed untouchable, the Denver Nuggets battle for the second seed. A four-horse race in the Western Conference for the second seed. Rockets, Grizzlies, Lakers alongside Nuggets have their eyes on the second seed.
The Nuggets currently sit third (44-25) in the West, and are 99.7% guaranteed to make the playoffs, according to Basketball Reference. They carry a 4.5 game advantage to the seventh-placed Minnesota Timberwolves (40-30). A 98.6% chance to finish in the top-six, 1.3% as seventh-seed and a mere 0.1% chance of finishing as the eight-seed. Here is the full breakdown of Denver Nuggets’ playoff seed chances:
| Playoff Seed | Percentage |
| 2 | 29.8 |
| 3 | 34.1 |
| 4 | 19.4 |
| 5 | 11.0 |
| 6 | 4.3 |
| 7 | 0.8 |
| 8 | 0.4 |
A second or third seed for the Nuggets avoids a run in with the Oklahoma City Thunder before the Western Conference Finals. In recent two back-to-back clashes, both the Thunder and the Nuggets won one game each. However, the Thunder have a 73.9% chance of winning the conference in comparison to 4.6% of the Nuggets, according to basketball conference. (Data up to March 17 games)
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