The bumpy patch should be over, and smoother roads could be on the horizon for the Nuggets if the schedule has anything to say about the home stretch going into the playoffs.
The Nuggets carted around the "toughest remaining schedule" moniker for weeks, but after a 3-3 patch against six of the toughest teams, they've slid all the way down to 16th in remaining schedule strength. In fact, the Nuggets play 10 of the 14 remaining games against opponents currently placed eighth or lower in either conference, and five against lottery-bound teams.
The Nuggets could also get a game to close out the regular season against a Spurs team that could be resting its starters.
The Spurs would likely control the two-seed and be in no danger of losing it to any of the five teams competing with the Nuggets for the three-seed on back. Plus, there's a thought that Victor Wembanyama could be ducking Nikola Jokic to gain a supposed advantage. A sarcastic thought, but one that happened nonetheless.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets just joined the club
The Nuggets' schedule coming out of the All-Star break was brutal. We've spent a month traversing that turbulent patch, and with 14 to go, the Nuggets finally caught a breather.
The only problem is, so did most of their competition. The Timberwolves, Lakers, and Rockets rank 14th, 15th, and 18th in remaining schedule strength. The Suns were the ones to draw the short end of the stick. They're staring down the third toughest road remaining.
The Nuggets are about to be whole again
The Nuggets have been hit hard by injuries this year, but they'll have a full roster soon, with the anticipated return of Peyton Watson not far off. Watson's presence has been missed by the Nuggets, who could have used his length and speed to defend on some of the plays they have allowed that have led to crushing defeats in the clutch.
And Jokic has been playing some amazing basketball the last few games. He seems to be moving past the wrist injury that was giving him some problems a couple of weeks ago.
The Nuggets have been carrying around a huge "if" card. "If" they get healthy. Well, they're about to be fully healthy.
The starting lineup has been looking better, and with P-Wat finally getting close, the Nuggets may finally be hitting one of their smoothest stretches of the season as the playoffs approach.