The NBA Playoff race has heated up.
The Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors have clinched the first two playoff spots in the NBA’s ultra tough Western Conference. Meanwhile, the six remaining playoff slots in the West remain up for grabs between nine teams which are still mathematically in contention.
Neck And Neck
The battle is especially neck-and-neck from the fifth to the eighth spots, as five teams are currently separated by a margin not exceeding three games. In the thick of that fight are the Denver Nuggets, who currently hold the ninth spot in the West.
With the regular season about to conclude, the Nuggets seem to be on the verge of another collapse. Last season, Denver missed the playoff bus after sputtering to the finish line. This year, history seems to have repeated itself as Denver finds itself in a similar position, Déjà vu, perhaps?
Denver is just 7-5 in the month of March and in the Western Conference, that’s not good. And as if their struggles weren’t enough, the Nuggets’ leading scorer and starting shooting guard, Gary Harris, suffered a bad fall in the fourth quarter of their game against the Detroit Pistons last March 15. Denver won that game but lost Harris to a knee injury. Luckily, Harris’ x-rays came back negative and an MRI revealed only a small sprain or strain.
A Challenging Schedule
Still, Harris has missed the Nuggets’ next four games and the team lost their first two games without their top scoring punch. Incidentally, those two losses were the first two games of their season-longest six-0game road trip. Luckily, the Nuggets caught a break and won their next two outings, pounding the Chicago Bulls 135-102 and upending the Washington Wizards 108-100.
The remaining schedule won’t go any easier from here for the Nuggets. A back-to-back against the playoff-bound Philadelphia 76ers and the Eastern Conference leaders Toronto Raptors is up next ( March 26th and 27th ) and the team concludes the long road trip by going to Oklahoma City to challenge Russell Westbrook and the Thunder ( March 30th ) .
Denver then hosts three more playoff bound teams to open up the month of April. Home games against the Milwaukee Bucks ( April 1 ), Indiana Pacers ( April 3 ) and the Minnesota Timberwolves ( April 5 ) follow. The Nuggets then close out the season by testing the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center ( April 7 ), hosting the Portland Trail Blazers at home ( April 9 ) and playing the Timberwolves again in Minnesota ( April 11 ).
A Consistent Contributor
According to Nuggets’ head coach Mike Malone, the ‘best case scenario’ for Harris’ return is against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday or the against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. Given how close the team standings are right now and how challenging their remaining regular season schedule is, the Nuggets need Harris back as soon as possible.
Harris has been one of the most consistent players for the Nuggets this season. The fourth-year guard from Michigan State is averaging a career-best 17.7 points per game along with 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Harris isn’t just the Nuggets’ top scorer and number one three point shooter, he is also the team leader in steals.
But his value has gone beyond his personal numbers because he has been a difference maker for Denver. When Harris is on the court, the Nuggets’ offensive rating is 113.9 points per 100 possessions. Without him, it drops to 110.0 points per 100 possessions. On the opposite end of the court, Denver’s defensive rating is 110.3 points per 100 possessions with Harris and 113.4 points per 100 possessions without him on the floor.
The odds currently say that Denver has the ninth best chance of winning the Western Conference at +10000 ( as per Betway odds as of 3/24/18 ). That’s tantamount to saying they are going to finish in the ninth spot in the West at the end of the regular season. At 40-33, Denver is actually at that ninth spot right now but with still enough games left to play, they can still make the playoffs. To win those games though, they really need Gary Harris badly.
