Our Denver Nuggets excel at passing, field-goal shooting percentage, rebounding, and defending without fouling, but playing basketball before dinner? Not their strong suit.
As the team prepares for its first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, a peculiar pattern lurks: The Nuggets have been surprisingly mediocre, posting a 2-4 record when forced to tip off before 5 p.m. local time. And with Games 1 and 4 against the Clippers already scheduled for afternoon tips, should Nuggets Nation be legitimately concerned about these early start times?
Afternoon Games: Not-So-Golden Hour for the Nuggets
The numbers don’t lie, but they might be misleading. Denver’s 2-4 record in afternoon games this season breaks down as follows:
Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
Oct. 26 | Los Angeles Clippers | Home | L 104-109 |
Jan. 12 | Dallas Mavericks | Away | W 112-101 |
Jan. 25 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Away | L 104-133 |
March 2 | Boston Celtics | Away | L 103-110 |
March 9 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Away | L 103, 127 |
April 13 | Houston Rockets | Away | W 126-111 |
Only two wins, both on the road. One came in the final game of the regular season, where Houston fought hard for a few quarters before mentally packing it in ahead of the playoffs. The other was a solid, come-from-behind win in Dallas against a shorthanded Mavs squad — credit where it’s due. But the rest? Yikes.
Oftentimes, the Nuggets weren’t just losing but coming out sluggish, disjointed, and defensively indifferent. Denver trailed after all but two of those afternoon first quarters and failed to score more than its season average of 120.8 PPG in only one early affair.
Despite sleepwalking through the first 12 minutes against L.A., Dallas, and Boston, Jokic and co. won one and kept the other two games close. But digging a sizable early deficit and hoping Jokic can will you back into it by the second half is no recipe for postseason success.
Even more concerning? One of those afternoon losses came against the same Clippers team they’re about to face in the playoffs. That Oct. 26 defeat might seem like ancient history, but patterns matter in postseason preparation.
Before I ring all the alarms, let’s add some context: The four teams that handed Denver afternoon losses were hardly pushovers. The Clippers, despite Kawhi Leonard’s injury struggles, rounded into form by the regular season’s end, finishing on an 18-3 kick. The Timberwolves persisted as a thorn in the Nuggets’ side, sweeping the regular-season series. The defending-champion Celtics finished with the league’s third-best record. And the Thunder once again finished atop the Western Conference, evolving into legitimate contenders led by the MVP favorite.
Now, enter the Clippers — a team that thrives on defensive intensity and has wing depth for days. If the Nuggets are caught napping in Games 1 or 4, L.A. can take advantage.
The Clips Already Own One Afternoon W in Denver
The Nuggets’ second loss of the season came in a 3:00 p.m. tip-off against these very Clippers, right in Ball Arena. Sure, that was back in October, but the Clippers held Denver to just 40.2% from the field, outrebounded the Nuggets by seven, and destroyed Denver’s interior defense, dropping 52 points in the paint that afternoon.
Denver’s bench group struggled mightily, as Julian Strawther was the only reserve to make a basket. The group shot a measly 3 of 18 from the field on the afternoon. Despite the struggles, Jok made a career-high seven 3-pointers but missed a free throw with 20 seconds left that would have tied the game.
In afternoon outings across the season, Big Honey averaged 23.7 points, 10.7 boards, and 8.2 assists per game — numbers that would be MVP-caliber for anyone else but represent a slight dip from his season averages.
Is it possible that the afternoon starts disrupt the big man’s rhythm? It’s not that Jokic plays poorly in afternoon games. He’s still Nikola freaking Jokic. But in a playoff series where margins are razor-thin, even a slightly less efficient three-time MVP could mean the difference between advancing and an early vacation.
Round One Series Implications
Afternoon games are weird. They throw off routines, change the feel of the building, and reward teams who show up ready to work.
Game 1 sets the tone. Lose it, and suddenly you’re fighting to reclaim the hard-earned home-court advantage. If Denver doesn’t come out locked in and ready to play 48 minutes, they’re inviting a thriving, rested Clippers squad to punch first. Game 4 could be even trickier. It’s the “emotional hinge” of a seven-game series. The afternoon slot there could tilt things in or out of control — especially if L.A. steals one of the first two.
If Denver wants to avoid an early-series headache, it’ll need to prove it can set the tone in sunlight, not just under the primetime lights. Smart money says the Nuggets will adjust their gameday routines, perhaps scheduling earlier practices leading up to these afternoon playoff contests. Veterans like Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Russell Westbrook will need to set the tone, bringing playoff-level energy to the squad regardless of what time the ball goes up.
The Nuggets’ 2-4 record in day games is concerning but not condemning. Championship teams find ways to win regardless of circumstances, and Denver has proven itself capable of overcoming adversity time and again.
Still, don’t be shocked if Games 1 and 4 feature a sluggish start from our boys in flatirons red, sunshine yellow, and midnight blue.