Nuggets eye favorable draw
Denver sits fifth in the West at 41-27 and analysts say their ideal first-round matchups are the Mavericks or Suns — anything but a Lakers/Warriors draw — to smooth their playoff path Yahoo Sports. The club also reported a rare stretch of good health with key players available as they head into a crucial late-season slate, which could swing tight seeding margins in the West Filmogaz.
After Saturday’s 127-125 overtime loss in Los Angeles, Denver sits 41-27 — a record tracked on Basketball-Reference. (basketball-reference.com) The defeat also dropped them a slot in recent recaps, with outlets listing them as sixth in the West with 14 games remaining. (si.com) Denver has beaten Phoenix twice this season (2-0) but is 1-2 against Dallas in 2025-26, head-to-head splits that analysts point to when naming the Suns and Mavericks favorable first-round draws. (champsorchumps.us) The Lakers hold a one-game edge in the standings (42-25) and won the season series over Denver, a tiebreaker note teams are watching; the Warriors, meanwhile, sit near the play-in cut with a sub-.500 record (about 32-33), making both matchups risky for Denver. (espn.com) Coach David Adelman has publicly said he’s hopeful the Nuggets will be close to full strength for the season’s final push, a timeline echoed in local reporting that the club is finally trending toward fewer injury report names. (hoopswire.com) Aaron Gordon’s return matters materially — Denver has gone 17-6 in games he’s played this year, a split Denver Post analysis highlighted. (denverpost.com) The schedule hands Denver back-to-back high-leverage matchups late in March: at Phoenix on Mar. 24 and home vs. Dallas on Mar. 25, followed by a home date with Golden State on Mar. 29 — three games that could directly determine whether Denver climbs or slips in the 3–6 seed range. (nba.com) With the Lakers a game ahead and the play-in picture still active (seeds 7–10 compete for final spots), every win or loss across Denver’s remaining 14 games will affect tiebreakers and seeding positions tracked on the league standings pages. (espn.com)
