After a long and arduous 82-game regular season, it’s officially time for the playoffs to begin.

The Denver Nuggets did their part, winning the season finale over the Houston Rockets 126-109 in a game that wasn’t nearly that close. Denver led by 31 points after three quarter with the five starters and Russell Westbrook each scoring in double figures. Denver’s defense was locked in. Their offense was locked in. It was the first game in a while that Denver played like they were trying to win a championship.

Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers with 19 points, getting back on track after getting some cuts to the rim and kickout threes. He and Jamal Murray were struggling in the first half, but two three-pointers in the second quarter helped get Porter going. Murray joined him in the third and fourth quarter, going for 16 points and three assists on 16 shots, though the shots that he missed in the first half were mostly open rhythm jumpers.

Nikola Jokic only attempted 10 shots today, going 7-of-10 and notching 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in three quarters. He was a +34 in 31 minutes, fully engaged on both ends of the floor (adding two steals and a block) and helped the Nuggets get the ball where it needed to go.

Aaron Gordon added 18 points on 13 shots, filling up the box score with three stocks of his own. Christian Braun added 11 points on just seven shots to go with seven rebounds, six assists, and stellar defense on Rockets guard Jalen Green who had just two points in 21 minutes on 0-of-7 from the field.

Off the bench, Russell Westbrook had a great game overall with 17 points and six assists, going 5-of-9 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. With just one turnover and strong defense, Westbrook did exactly what the Nuggets needed from him, spending some time elevating the Nuggets bench unit in both halves and some time filling in as the point guard next to Jokic and the other starters.

Peyton Watson had nine points, making multiple three-pointers including one at the buzzer to end the third quarter on a high note for Denver. He also added a steal and a block, bringing his block total to 93 on the season, one of the highest numbers in the NBA by a non-center.

Overall, this was a professional performance from the Nuggets, their most important one of the season. They needed a win to guarantee home court advantage in the first round, and they delivered. It’s a good sign that Denver’s going into the postseason on a bit of a high note after they were at such a low point just a week ago.

The End of the Regular Season

The NBA season is almost always volatile. This year for the Nuggets, that was the case more than ever before. Change to the personnel, rotations, and the feeling around the Nuggets made it clear that things were going to be different from the get go. That pressure ultimately became too high at the end of last week, and the Nuggets finally decided to make sweeping changes in the hope of preserving this year.

Now that it’s all done though, it’s fair to say that Denver was right in line with where most believed them to be. 50 wins, the fourth seed (or so) in the West, a good but not great mix. That’s what a lot of folks, locally and nationally, believed would happen. I had the Nuggets at 52 wins personally, so this isn’t that much of a surprise.

This year yielded some pretty crazy moments though. Christian Braun yammed on Rudy Gobert and nearly started a brawl in Game 5 of the season. The Nuggets lost to the Washington Wizards in Game 21, causing an existential crisis that led to Denver playing much better basketball overall from mid December to the All-Star break.

Then after the break, the Nuggets were hit with some wakeup calls. The Los Angeles Lakers delivered one. The Minnesota Timberwolves delivered another. Then the Portland Trail Blazers. Then the Wizards again. It got bad, and the Nuggets did what no other team has ever done before: fire their head coach (and general manager) with three games left in the regular season.

Throughout it all, Nikola Jokic put together a truly incredible and impactful season once again. I decided last night, if I had a vote for MVP, I would vote for Jokic, despite what happened around him this year. He was a steadying force that helped Denver keep things together despite what was clearly a toxic environment at various points throughout the year. Without Jokic, the Nuggets would be in a really ugly place right now. It’s a good thing they’ve got #15. He made fullcourt shots. He made insane passes. He was dynamite in the clutch. There’s a lot that an MVP is supposed to be. He represented all of that and more.

Now though, it’s time to turn the page. All of the drama, statistics, awards, everything goes out the window once the playoffs begin. It’s about winning. It’s about rising to the occasion in tough situations. The Nuggets have been playoff tested before. Now, they’re going to be tested again by a veteran Los Angeles Clippers roster.

We will see how the Nuggets respond.

Final Rotations