#3 Denver Nuggets
Even though they have lost Jamal Murray for the year due to a torn ACL in his left knee, the Denver Nuggets still have Nikola Jokic and since Murray went down with his season-ending injury, the Nuggets are 6-1.
All season long, this team has had players step up into bigger roles and with Nikola Jokic looking like the clear-cut MVP right now, they are definitely going to be a tough team to beat, especially if the Lakers have to play them in the first-round!
Nikola Jokic has been a star all-year-long and can be a complete mismatch for teams because of everything he can do to impact the game, but Michael Porter Jr. is the real difference maker for this Nuggets team, especially with Jamal Murray out.
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On the year, MPJ is averaging 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and shooting 44.4% from three-point range, but since Murray went down with his devastating injury, Porter Jr. has averaged 25.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and has shot 54.4% from three-point range!
He is going to have to continue to elevate his game and grow into the high-level talent the Nuggets will need him to be and if he continues to elevate his game, then he could definitely be a headache for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Losing Jamal Murray definitely hurts this team’s chances for success, but they still have plenty of guys who can contribute at a high-level, so the Nuggets should not be written off just yet.
