Denver's offense is operating at peak performance

After a wild Trade Deadline last week, things have calmed down a bit, allowing us to appreciate the impressive run the Denver Nuggets are currently on. With a season-high seven-game win streak, they now sit at 35-19, holding the third spot in the Western Conference standings. It's time to recognize their hard work and success on the court.

As has been the case for most of the year, Denver’s offense is the driving force behind their success on the court. The Nuggets have upped their scoring and efficiency during this seven-game stretch, registering a blistering offensive rating of 130.2, the best mark in the NBA by a healthy margin. They also rank second in scoring (127.6 ppg), effective field-goal percentage (61.9) and true shooting percentage (64.9).

On the season, Denver is third in offensive rating (119.4) and points per game (121.3), and they’re second in effective field-goal (57.5) and true shooting percentage (60.6). The Nuggets love to share the rock, too, as evidenced by their NBA-best 31.4 assists

Nikola Jokić is at the center of it all, in more ways than one. Jokić is having another MVP-caliber season while posting a career-high in a number of statistical categories across the board, including points (29.8), assists (10.3), steals (1.8), 3-point accuracy (45.6%), minutes played (36.0) and plus-minus (9.7). He’s averaging a triple-double a night with his 12.5 rebounds, and his 24 triple-doubles on the season are the most in the league.

Joker has been even better over his last seven games, if you can believe it. In 33.8 minutes per contest, Jokić is putting up 30.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 1.9 steals while knocking down a ridiculous 64.8% of his 18 field goal attempts.

It hasn’t just been Jokić stepping up his play over the Nuggets’ recent hot stretch. Michael Porter, Jr., who’s missed the last two games with a left hamstring injury, was on an absolute heater before going down. In his previous five games, the sixth-year forward out of Missouri exploded for 28.8 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 61.8% from the field and 50.0% from 3-point territory. He poured in 30-plus points in three consecutive games from Feb. 3 – 6, the longest such streak of his career.

Christian Braun is another key player who has had a breakout year three. He earned a starting role for head coach Michael Malone after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope opted to leave Denver in free agency last summer, and the Kansas product hasn’t looked back since. Braun is playing 32.8 minutes a night, posting career-highs across the board with 14.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals. Over the course of the Nuggets’ win streak, he’s impressed with 19.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 60.0% on almost 13 field goal attempts per game.

Second-year pro Julian Strawther has seen his role increase with Porter, Jr. and Russell Westbrook forced to miss time with injuries recently. Strawther filled in as a starter for Denver’s previous three games, dropping 18 points in back-to-back games from Feb. 8 – 10 in wins over Phoenix and Portland. Over his last five outings, he’s been a consistent factor with 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 30.4 minutes.

The contributions the Nuggets are getting now from their younger guys and role players will be critical once the playoffs arrive. If Denver can continue building the confidence and chemistry of everyone on their roster, they will be one of the West’s most formidable teams come playoff time.