The Nuggets trailed the Portland Trail Blazers by 16 points with 8:34 left in the fourth quarter, and by as many as 18 in the third, in what was shaping up to be a trap game against a Blazers team that is battling for the eight seed in the Western Conference playoff race. But the Nuggets chipped away at the lead and kicked the defense into high gear over the final five minutes and overtime, and for the second game in a row, they showed the fortitude in the clutch to remind everyone, it's fixed.
For most of the game, it looked like the Nuggets had no part in winning, and it was time to close the book on the eight-game winning streak.
But with 7:51 to go, MVP candidate Nikola Jokic checked back into the game, and he downshifted the Nuggets offense into the right gear to climb them out of the mountain pass of a hill they faced.
That's also when the Nuggets' secret weapon on defense checked back in, Aaron Gordon. He's been a menace in the last two games on defense.
He shut down Victor Wembanyama in the Nuggets' thrilling overtime victory against the Spurs, and his presence, with Jokic's help, of course, triggered a 24-8 run to close regulation tied. They pulled away to defeat the Blazers, 137-132, in the overtime frame. It's their ninth win in a row, their longest streak of the season.
The Nuggets have played incredibly in the clutch
The Nuggets have won their last seven clutch home games. And in the past two games, they've outscored the Spurs and Blazers 45-18 in the clutch. The advanced numbers are off the charts in both directions.
The Nuggets have an offensive rating of 136.4 over those two games, and a defensive rating of 87.1. I'll say that again, because it's eye-popping. 87.1.
That's incredible defense and offense when it matters most. The Nuggets have a 116.1 defensive rating for the season for the full 48 minutes.
Sure, everybody would prefer to avoid being down that much, of course, but this isn't the first time the Nuggets have stormed back, and it probably won't be the last. It's nice to know the defense is capable of what it's showing.
Confidence-inspiring defense was played
But what the defensive display did inspire is that the Nuggets have the ability to dig down and play defense. They can do it. They just need to do it for 48 minutes now. But they can do it.
They showed flashes this year. They held the Boston Celtics to a season-low 84 points on defense. The Celtics have the NBA's second-ranked offense at 119.9, right behind the Nuggets' 120.9
The Nuggets have held the Rockets to 93, the 76ers to 96, and the Warriors to 93, all since March 1st. They're all either squarely in the playoffs or play-in rounds. So the Nuggets can do it.
A healthy Nuggets team may just be what they needed to get into high gear. We're glad they found it before the playoffs.