Michael Porter Jr. was once thought to be the next great prospect, injuries stalled him initially, but now he is ready for the spotlight. The Denver Nuggets are ready. After compiling talent through the draft — whether in the lottery (Jamal Murray) or second round (Nikola Jokic) — they surged to a surprise trip to
Denver Nuggets
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. In theory, every regular-season game counts towards the nebulous quantitive and qualitative formula each voter uses to make their pick for NBA MVP. But the stakes are often
Coming off a surprise run to the conference finals, the Denver Nuggets are in the thick of the West’s top tier. Can they meet these new expectations? 1. Who leads the Nuggets in scoring this season — Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr.? Murray. His performance in The Bubble was incredible: 26.5 points
The Nuggets are reportedly not interested in trading for James Harden if it means parting ways with Michael Porter Jr. James Harden reportedly wants a trade away from the Houston Rockets, and the team is calling around hoping for a trade partner. The Denver Nuggets are one team that has popped up recently in the
DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 23: Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket against Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) 3 big Steelers problems aside from JuJu Smith-Schuster’s dancing by Steven Kubitza The Sacramento Kings pulled out a win against the Denver Nuggets in spectacular fashion.
Jamal Murray was explosive in the NBA bubble, now he’s ready to bring that version of himself to every game. Jamal Murray is 23, and the biggest moment in his NBA career took place inside the NBA Bubble. If you blinked, maybe you missed it. If you changed the channel to check on a baseball
The Denver Nuggets saved their offseason by bringing back Paul Millsap. Coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance, the last thing the Denver Nuggets wanted to do this offseason was take a step backward. Nikola Jokic has been a superstar for years, but Jamal Murray’s unforgettable ascension within the NBA bubble signaled this team was
INVERCARGILL, NEW ZEALAND – NOVEMBER 03: RJ Hampton of the Breakers looks on during the round five NBL match between the New Zealand Breakers and the Perth Wildcats at ILT Stadium on November 03, 2019 in Invercargill, New Zealand. (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images) Bruce Arians backs Antonio Brown, but draws a line by Cole
Montrezl Harrell, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, might be on the move this offseason. Very rarely would the reigning Sixth Man of the Year fresh off an appearance in the Western Conference semifinals consider leaving one of the biggest contenders in the 2020-21 season, but that’s exactly the situation that could present itself
The Denver Nuggets cheated death twice in the 2019-20 playoffs, becoming the first team to overcome two separate 3-1 deficits. Two personalities prevailed. What superstar archetype drives a team in the NBA playoffs? Is it the aggressive, fiery attacker, a player who never backs down from the greatest of challenges and rides the waves of
Game 4 saw a much different officiating style towards LeBron James The Lakers won fair and square in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, giving them a 3-1 lead and placing the Nuggets in a familiar position. Los Angeles is just one game away from an NBA Finals appearance. The Lakers Game 3 loss
Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone took a shot at the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA’s controversial officiating after a close Game 4 loss. Nuggets head coach Mike Malone called out the Lakers after a controversial Game 4, decrying the seemingly tilted officiating and Los Angeles’s previous complaints about foul calls, despite the fact
The Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-1 lead on the Denver Nuggets in Game 4. Taking a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from the NBA Finals. However, the Denver Nuggets won’t be deterred facing a deficit they’ve faced before, against a team they
Shaquille O’Neal likes the Denver Nuggets to win Game 7 on Tuesday night. Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t think the Los Angeles Clippers will beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 7. The plucky Nuggets have already overcome one 3-1 best-of-seven series deficit this postseason, as they needed a Mike Conley miss from three at the buzzer to hold
The Lakers’ bench tricked Gary Harris into taking a bad shot in Game 4, counting down from three despite the Denver guard having more time to shoot. The Los Angeles Lakers’ bench pulled out some middle-school tactics against Denver guard Gary Harris during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, counting down from three to force
The Denver Nuggets struck back with a much-needed win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3. After their Game 2 comeback fell short at the hands of an Anthony Davis buzzer-beater, the Denver Nuggets easily could’ve fallen apart in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. And yet, facing a 2-0 deficit against the
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. So many players have changed their reputations in the NBA Bubble, taking leaps and making statements about ceilings raised. And perhaps no trio has forced more perceptual change
Lakers vs. Nuggets isn’t the Western Conference Finals we were expecting. These are the lineup, matchup and strategic issues that will decide a winner. The Western Conference Finals are here. It’s not the Battle for Los Angeles that many envisioned since last July, but instead, the Lakers taking on the Denver Nuggets for the right
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum ripped the Clippers. The Los Angeles Clippers authored one of the greatest choke jobs in the history of basketball, blowing a 3-1 lead to Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and the Denver Nuggets despite holding a double-digit lead in each of the last three games. While every Western Conference rival sitting
The Denver Nuggets stunned the LA Clippers in Game 7, advancing to the Western Conference Finals. For the second time in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the Denver Nuggets overcame a 3-1 deficit to win the series. In the process, not only did they become the first team in NBA history to do so, but they advanced
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 01: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz hugs Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Justin Herbert’s quote on Hard Knocks has to be concerning for Chargers by Brad Berreman Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray had nothing but respect for each other after
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. It took a somewhat miraculous 19-point comeback for the Denver Nuggets to even force a Game 7 but all that would be just preamble to what they hope
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 19: Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) PJ Washington lays out how the Hornets can make the playoffs in 2021 by Scott Rogust Damian Lillard was having none of Michael Porter Jr.’s demands. The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of elimination
Nuggets forward Torrey Craig nearly entered undesirable territory on Tuesday, missing an unnecessary layup and giving the Jazz a chance to win Game 7. Denver Nuggets forward Torrey Craig gave fans a scare during the final seconds of Game 7 against the Jazz on Tuesday night, inexplicably missing an easy layup and giving Utah point
The LA Clippers took a commanding 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4. The Denver Nuggets have proved to be a tougher test for the LA Clippers than previously expected, but Doc Rivers’ team looks up to the challenge in this second-round NBA playoff series. In a dominant Game 4 win where LA
The LA Clippers outlasted the Denver Nuggets in Game 3. After a total rout in Game 1, the LA Clippers felt like heavy favorites to quickly advance past the Denver Nuggets in their second-round playoff series. The Nuggets evened the score with a surprising Game 2 victory and proved again in Game 3 this won’t
The Denver Nuggets forward said an ominous report from the Clippers medical staff caused the L.A. franchise to pass on him in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Nuggets caught a break in the 2018 NBA Draft when Michael Porter Jr. fell to the end of the lottery, allowing Denver to scoop him up at no.
Inside the NBA’s Charles Barkley guaranteed that the Clippers will sweep the Nuggets in the second round, which means it won’t happen. NBA legend and analyst Charles Barkley just made the most recent installment in a long line of guarantees which haven’t quite panned out. After previously “guaranteeing,” per The Spun, that the Portland Trail
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Patrick Mahomes gets engaged to girlfriend Brittany Matthews by Alicia de Artola The Denver Nuggets stole Game 7 in a series of frantic final moments, completing an improbable 3-1 comeback over the Utah Jazz. The first-round series between the Nuggets and Jazz had been an offensive supernova, defined by the
The final sequence in Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz was insane. We could talk about how Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz came to life in the second half of Game 7 in their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. We could talk about how low-scoring the game