The 2025 NBA playoffs get underway on Saturday with a massive quadruple-header of games, kicking off a two-month odyssey to a champion. The Nuggets will start their campaign against the Clippers at home in Ball Arena at 1:30 PM MT, the second game of the playoffs to tip off.
Despite having homecourt advantage, the Nuggets are slight underdogs in the series against a red-hot Clippers team that is fully healthy and looking as deadly as they have in years, led by Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Ivica Zubac.
We know what to expect from MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, who will lead the Denver offense and be the focus of LA’s defense. Joker is as reliable a player as there is in the NBA. He has proven that all season long and for the entire decade, really.
No matter what happens in these playoffs, Jokic is the present and future of the team. By firing the coach and GM recently, the Nuggets indicated that there needs to be a sense of urgency to win at the highest level while Jokic is playing this well. If this team crashes out in these playoffs, especially in the first round, there are going to be major changes this offseason.
These three players will be major X-factors in this series, and the way they play will go a long way in deciding Denver’s fate. If they rise to the occasion, the Nuggets should be moving on to the second round, but if things go poorly, they stand to lose quite a lot this summer.
1. Michael Porter Jr. needs to be traded if he doesn’t show up
MPJ has been at the center of trade rumors all season, and that’s only going to intensify if he has a poor series. He’s paid like a star, but plays like an inconsistent role player. He is prone to disappearing, and the Nuggets simply cannot afford that. They need him to be a reliable secondary scorer and a high-volume, knockdown shooter whenever he is on the floor.
Perhaps as importantly, he really needs to buckle down on the defensive end. There is nowhere for MPJ to hide; he’s going to have to lock in and guard his yard, plus be very active on the glass. If Mike fails to make a big impact in this series, he is going to be on the chopping block, and despite the Kroenkes’ love for Porter Jr., they may have to move him and his contract for multiple role players.
2.) Russell Westbrook’s last chance to play a role on contender
For Westbrook, it’s now or never. The Rockets gave up on him, decided he couldn’t help them in the playoffs, and they moved on. The Lakers gave up on him, decided he couldn’t help them in the playoffs, and they moved on. The Clippers gave up on him, decided he couldn’t help them in the playoffs, and they moved on.
You get the pattern, here. Russ has worn out his welcome at stop after stop. He was lucky there was a need for him in Denver, and he was able to sign a minimum contract with a team that badly needed depth. Russ has had a very solid regular season and provided great value on his deal, but can he stick to his strengths and play within himself to impact winning in the playoffs?
The fear is that he will revert to his trigger-happy, turnover-prone self, that defenses will cheat off of him and dare him to shoot and playmake, and that he’ll play right into the Clippers’ hands and completely tank his minutes and take the Nuggets out of their game.
And at this point in his career, this is probably his last chance. If Russ flames out again, it’s hard to imagine another contending team will bring him in and watch this play out for them in a playoff setting. If he can’t get it done in this role, on this team, playing alongside Jokic, then sadly, it’s just not going to happen for the future Hall of Famer.
3. The Jamal Murray conundrum
Then there’s Jamal Murray. When he’s healthy and right, he’s clearly the second-best player on the team, one of the best sidekicks in the NBA, a worthy partner for Jokic, and a building block on an NBA champion.
The problem is that we’ve only seen that version of Murray once in the past four playoffs. He started this season slowly before coming on and having a great couple of months. Unfortunately, he suffered a calf injury with a few weeks left in the regular season and missed six straight games.
He returned for the final two games, but didn’t play heavy minutes and didn’t shoot particularly well. The Nuggets got a hobbled Murray in the playoffs last year, and it wasn’t good enough; they can’t afford that again.
If Jamal isn’t 100%, the Nuggets aren’t going to have enough offensive firepower to keep up with the Clippers, and he is going to get picked on relentlessly on defense. If that’s the case, it’s hard to picture a path to a Denver victory in this series.
Furthermore, that would create some serious questions this offseason about Murray’s place on the team and how things are built going forward. He will be entering year one of a four-year max extension next season, and if he flames out in these playoffs, it’s going to be hard to rely on him to be a legitimate number two to Jokic going forward.
There won’t be an easy answer, but tough decisions will have to be made. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that. Hopefully, all three of these guys show up, have a great series, and the Nuggets are able to survive a tough first-round matchup and move on to the Western Conference Semifinals.