The road in the playoffs is usually the road less traveled for many teams, and that's why home court advantage is so key. The Nuggets lost the keys to home court when they lost Game 2 at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves in round one of the playoffs. Now facing elimination down 3-2 in Game 6, the Nuggets find themselves on the road trying to do what they have never done in front of a crowd before. Win an elimination game on the road with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in front of road fans, as their season hangs in the balance.
The Nuggets have lost in two prior tries to extend their season in front of road fans. When the Nuggets came back from 3-1 deficits during the 2019-2020 playoffs, like they are trying to do now against the Timberwolves, the NBA was sequestered in the "bubble" in Orlando. There were no fans present for any game during those playoffs.
The pressure is on when the road fans are loud
We all know how it is to be at the games, rooting for the Nuggets as loud as we possibly can. We also get loud for them to distort the opponents. And that advantage could have helped play out at least once in the Nuggets' two prior road losses in front of fans in elimination games.
The first loss was in Game 5 of the first round against the Golden State Warriors 2021-22. The Warriors won the game 102-98, the series 4-1, and went on to win the championship.
The second loss was in Game 7 of the second round against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder, just last year. That one wasn't as competitive, as the Nuggets lost 125-93 and had Aaron Gordon running around on basically one leg.
The Nuggets need a repeat of Game 5, and they'll pass the test
The Nuggets looked fantastic in Game 5, playing with grit and defense in the elimination game at home. They forced 25 turnovers, a series high, and had 16 steals in the game. More importantly, the Nuggets plugged the leak at the rim and held the Wolves to a series low 50-points in the paint.
They slowed Ayo Dosunmu to just 18 points after being torched for 43 and 25 points off the bench in the two games prior. Dosunmu was making the start for the injured Anthony Edwards, who will miss Game 6 and Game 7, if the Nuggets pass the test in Game 6, due to a knee injury that has left the Timberwolves star week-to-week.
The Nuggets' depth was also on display as Spencer Jones helped lead the scoring load in the place of Aaron Gordon in the starting lineup. Jones scored 20 points and did his best defensive impression of Gordon with 3 steals and 3 blocks.
Jones was the perfect stand-in for one night. The Nuggets may need him for the second game in a row if Gordon can't go, if they're going to pass this elimination test for the first time with Jokic and Murray.