For all the right reasons, the NBA shut down the NBA playoffs for a few days after several teams boycotted their games. How will this have helped or hurt the Denver Nuggets?
The Denver Nuggets remain among the scarier rosters the bubble in Orlando, but their performance against the Utah Jazz has been extremely disappointing. It has taken two Herculean performances from Jamal Murray to barely edge out a scorching hot Jazz squad led by the young phenom, Donovan Mitchell.
Having won Game 5 to keep their season alive and narrow the series down to 3-2, the Nuggets will play again Sunday for game six after having the original date and time of the game postponed. There was a brief moment in time in which it looked as though the entire playoffs were going to be put off entirely, and the league would scrap what was already a makeshift season.
The Nuggets may have lost some momentum after their Game 5 triumph, but this brief pause could completely break up the previous dynamics of the series, which were clearly favoring the Jazz. The Nuggets had to limp across the finish line in order to keep themselves afloat in game five, meaning any real adjustments that were made in order to stymie the Utah offense weren’t working entirely well.
It also took a ridiculous beginning to the game for Nikola Jokic, who bombed in three after three to get the Nuggets going in the first quarter. Individual masterpieces from the team’s two best offensive pieces can’t always be counted on going forward, and the Nuggets should be able to improve with their various matchups for the currently unstoppable Mitchell.
It may also buy some more time for Gary Harris to finally return to the floor after he was upgraded to questionable before game five. Harris, along with Will Barton, has yet to play in the bubble and will be a desperately needed infusion of steady offense in the backcourt. The momentum may be slowly shifting the Nuggets’ way.