Nuggets go 2-1 for the week, but the home loss to Portland matters most
Denver beat Toronto and Indiana but dropped a conference game at home to Portland, and sits ninth in the West at 5-3.
The Denver Nuggets finished the week 2-1 and sit at 5-3, which reads well enough. The game that will linger is the first one. An 118-110 home loss to Portland was a conference defeat against a team directly ahead of them in the standings, and it is the main reason Denver is 3-3 against the West despite a winning record overall.
The two wins that followed were comfortable. Neither was against a conference opponent.
The week
Monday: Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets, 118-110. The Portland Trail Blazers came to Denver and left with an eight-point win that moved them to 5-1 and dropped the Nuggets to 3-3. Giving up 118 at home to a conference rival is the kind of result that shows up again in April.
Wednesday: Toronto Raptors at Denver Nuggets, 128-109. Denver answered with its most complete game of the week, beating the Toronto Raptors by 19. The 128 points were a season-best type of response after Monday, and the Nuggets moved back above .500 at 4-3.
Saturday: Denver Nuggets at Indiana Pacers, 114-102. A 12-point road win over the Indiana Pacers, who fell to 3-7. Denver covered the 6.5- and 7.5-point lines on the board, and the 216 combined points came in well under a total set in the high 220s.
Where they stand
At 5-3 overall and 3-3 in conference play, Denver sits ninth in the West on the table as listed. The top of the conference is crowded: Oklahoma City, San Antonio and the Lakers are all 8-2, with Golden State, Minnesota and Houston at 7-3.
Just above Denver are Memphis (6-3, 6-2 in conference) and Portland (6-3, 6-3 in conference). That Portland line is the cost of Monday. Since beating Denver to go 5-1, the Blazers have gone 1-2, and the Nuggets would be level or better with them had that game gone the other way.
Behind Denver, Dallas is 5-4 and New Orleans 4-5. The bottom of the West is already separating, with the Clippers at 1-7 and Utah and Sacramento both 1-8.
The desk
All four members of the desk worked the Indiana game, and it split them cleanly.
Dr. Priya "The Quant" Raman went 3-0. She had Denver -6.5, the under 229.5 and Nikola Jokic under 26.5 points, and all three landed. That takes her to 4-5 on the season.
Marcus "Film Room" Dawkins went 2-1, cashing Denver to win and Denver -6.5. His Jokic over 9.5 assists did not land. He is also 4-5.
Vera "The Fade" Kowalski went 1-2. Her contrarian case for Indiana, both to win and at +7.5, lost, but she had the other side of Dawkins' prop, Jokic under 9.5 assists, and that won. She is 3-6.
Lou "The Sharp" Marchetti had the rough week: 0-3, with Indiana +7.5, the over 228.5 and Jamal Murray over 23.5 points all losing. He still leads the desk at 5-4, but his margin is down to a single game over Raman and Dawkins.
What's next
The Nuggets come out of the week with a winning record and a conference mark that needs work, and the games against Western opponents are the ones to watch from here. With Memphis and Portland one game ahead and Dallas half a game behind, a couple of conference results either way will move Denver several places. The full schedule, with tip times and the latest odds, is on the scores page.
