The Nuggets got an impressive win in Phoenix on Saturday night on the second night of a tough back-to-back, losing the first leg to the Spurs. The win was more than just impressive; it was a high-water mark for Denver across the board in terms of shooting efficiency. They shot 57.9% from the floor, 57.9% from three, and 95.1% from the free throw line - each of which was a season high.
RAISED. THE. BAR. pic.twitter.com/40D69Au43c
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 30, 2025
Denver isn’t a particularly high-volume shooting team; they are one of the lowest in three-pointers, and middle of the pack for free throws, but their efficiency is exceptional. Saturday night’s numbers were their best of the season, but it wasn’t a total aberration.
On the season, the Nuggets are third in the NBA in three-point percentage, hitting 39.2% of their attempts from deep. They’re also third in the league in free-throw percentage, nailing 83.6% of attempts from the charity stripe. They have great shooters, but they aren’t maximising their volume.
The victory against the Suns proved what can happen when the Nuggets keep the ball moving, drive aggressively, and don’t hesitate to let open shots fly. The result was 22 made threes, almost 9 more than their season average.
More threes will lead to more wins
The Nuggets aren’t going to shoot close to 60% from three every game, but they’ve proven to be a strong shooting team, and if they up the volume, they are creating more chances for these positive outlier-type games. Even the “bad” nights won’t kill them, but a good shooting night on high volume can almost guarantee a win.
It’s not a major tweak. They just need to shoot four or five more threes a game. The looks are there, and the shooters are more than capable. The extra attempts will lead to extra makes, and those three-point makes will start to swing the math in Denver’s favor over time.
They already have a great offense, but if they start maximizing their shot profile, they can be an elite offense and an unstoppable offense. They’ve got the personnel to run an offense that can create great looks from distance, and they’ve also got the personnel to knock down said looks. It’s just a matter of leaning into them a little bit more.
Saturday was a great step in the right direction and a bit of proof of concept. Jokic got to play the way he wants, dishing the rock, bending the defense, and only attempting seven extremely efficient shots. It’s a recipe for success, and one the Nuggets should strive to use more frequently.