The Denver Nuggets have had one glaring weakness all season, and the question of whether they can fix their defense in the playoffs will be put to the test in game one when the Timberwolves visit the Nuggets.
The Nuggets ended the season on a 12-game winning streak, but even during the streak, the Nuggets' defense had some questionable moments. The Utah Jazz, who tanked and finished last in the Western Conference, put up a staggering 84 points on the Nuggets in the paint alone in the Nuggets' 135-129 come-from-behind win. It was a layup line, and Nikola Jokic just didn't try to get stops.
The playoffs begin with the Nuggets as the worst team from the regular season in team defensive rating. They finished 21st with a rating of 116.0. The team with the NBA's best record, the Oklahoma City Thunder, finished first at 106.5.
Can the Nuggets stop the Timberwolves?
The Timberwolves come into the series as the 13th-ranked offense with a 115.6 offensive rating, and they averaged 118 points per game. They also have Anthony Edwards running around the perimeter, and the best player to defend him, Peyton Watson, will miss game one of the series.
That role will now switch to Christian Braun as the first person to try. Braun has a defensive rating of 114.1, and he's more of a middle-of-the-road defender who lacks the length Watson has to affect shots and passes.
Kirk Goldsberry said on "The Zach Lowe Show" that he doesn't think the Nuggets can stop the Timberwolves, and he's picked the Timberwolves to win the series. Sure, it's going to be a battle, but the Nuggets have played good defense at times this year, and that means they're capable of finding that gear again.
The Nuggets showed flashes of defensive greatness
It wasn't all so bad, all 82 games for the Nuggets' defense. It has holes in the non-Jokic minutes, and it's been porous at times, but there were moments of top-tier defense against top-tier offensive teams.
The Nuggets held the Boston Celtics, the league's No. 2 offense in offensive rating, to just 84 points in late February. And in March, they held both the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers to under 100 points, both playoff teams.
And during the winning streak, the Nuggets found a gear in the clutch, winning all six attempts. The Nuggets' defensive rating dropped to 95.0 over 32 minutes of game time. On pace to be a full 20 points better per game if that were over 48 minutes.
The Nuggets can reach down and play defense. The question is, will they stop the Timberwolves? Probably.
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