Denver Nuggets
Record:
22-20 (7th in the West)
The Case:
The Denver Nuggets have done a good job of holding down the fort while Paul Millsap continues to recover from a torn ligament in his wrist. The Nuggets offense, led by Nikola Jokic, is once again in the top ten and the defense hasn’t been as atrocious as it was last year (currently 19th in defensive rating).
One reason to believe in Denver’s chances is the improvement of second-year guard Jamal Murray. Murray has improved each month of the season and is currently averaging 16 points per game after shooting over 46 percent from 3 in the month of December. If the Nuggets can continue finding ways to win without Millsap, their offense should be able to get them into the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13.