Denver Nuggets: 5 reasons why the Nuggs can win the West

4. Clutch Defense

Overall, the Nuggets haven’t had the best defense this year. Inconsistency would be a better word for it. In Denver’s 14-10 start, they found themselves 26th in defensive intensity, while their recent five-game win streak had them 2nd in defensive efficiency.

However, the one aspect of their defense that has remained consistent is their dominance during “clutch” time. For those who don’t know, clutch time is defined as minutes when the scoring margin is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining in the game. During that time frame this season, Denver has the best defensive rating.

The Nuggets have ten wins decided by five points or less and much of that is attributed to their defensive prowess when the game matters most. Denver still has some serious defensive issues to figure out but if they can carry over their late-game defensive intensity for a full 48 minutes, they will become a serious problem.