2018–19 Denver Nuggets season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 2018–19 Denver Nuggets season was the 43rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team revealed a new logo for the 2018–19 season. With a win against the Boston Celtics on March 18, the Nuggets clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the 2012–13 season.
| 2018–19 Denver Nuggets season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Michael Malone |
| President | Tim Connelly |
| General manager | Artūras Karnišovas |
| Owners | Ann Walton Kroenke |
| Arena | Pepsi Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 54–28 (.659) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Northwest) Conference: 2nd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost to Trail Blazers 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Altitude Sports and Entertainment |
| Radio | KKSE |
In the playoffs, the Nuggets defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the First Round in seven games, winning their first playoff series since the Carmelo Anthony era in 2009. In the Semifinals, the Nuggets lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in seven games.
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Michael Porter Jr. | SF |  United States |
Missouri |
| 2 | 41 | Jarred Vanderbilt | SF |  United States |
Kentucky |
| 2 | 58 | Thomas Welsh | C | United States |
UCLA |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Standings
Division
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | – | 34–7 | 20–21 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1.0 | 32–9 | 21–20 | 6–10 | 82 |
| x – Utah Jazz | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4.0 | 29–12 | 21–20 | 8–8 | 82 |
| x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 49 | 33 | .598 | 5.0 | 27–14 | 22–19 | 9–7 | 82 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 36 | 46 | .439 | 18.0 | 25–16 | 11–30 | 5–11 | 82 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Golden State Warriors * | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Denver Nuggets * | 54 | 28 | .659 | 3.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y – Houston Rockets * | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Utah Jazz | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Memphis Grizzlies | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Dallas Mavericks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Phoenix Suns | 19 | 63 | .232 | 38.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2018 preseason game log Total: 4–1 (home: 1–0; road: 3–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 4–1 (home: 1–0; road: 3–1)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
| 2018–19 game log Total: 54–28 (home: 34–7; road: 20–21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 6–1 (home: 4–0; road: 2–1)
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November
: 9–6 (home: 5–3; road: 4–3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December
: 8–4 (home: 5–0; road: 3–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January
: 12–4 (home: 8–1; road: 4–3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February
: 7–4 (home: 5–1; road: 2–3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March
: 9–6 (home: 4–2; road: 5–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April
: 3–3 (home: 3–0; road: 0–3)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
Game log
| 2019 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
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Conference Semifinals: 3–4 (home: 2–2; road: 1–2)
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| 2019 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell | 7 | 0 | 3.1 | .300 | .000 | .500 | .6 | .9 | .3 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Will Barton | 43 | 38 | 27.7 | .402 | .342 | .770 | 4.6 | 2.9 | .4 | .5 | 11.5 |
| Malik Beasley | 81 | 18 | 23.2 | .474 | .402 | .848 | 2.5 | 1.2 | .7 | .1 | 11.3 |
| Torrey Craig | 75 | 37 | 20.0 | .442 | .324 | .700 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .5 | .6 | 5.7 |
| Brandon Goodwin | 16 | 0 | 3.6 | .261 | .333 | .818 | .2 | .9 | .0 | .0 | 1.4 |
| Gary Harris | 57 | 48 | 28.8 | .424 | .339 | .799 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .3 | 12.9 |
| Juan Hernangómez | 70 | 25 | 19.4 | .439 | .365 | .767 | 3.8 | .8 | .4 | .3 | 5.8 |
| Nikola Jokić | 80 | 80 | 31.3 | .511 | .307 | .821 | 10.8 | 7.3 | 1.4 | .7 | 20.1 |
| Tyler Lydon | 25 | 0 | 3.8 | .500 | .400 | .333 | .7 | .2 | .1 | .0 | .9 |
| Trey Lyles | 64 | 2 | 17.5 | .418 | .255 | .698 | 3.8 | 1.4 | .5 | .4 | 8.5 |
| Paul Millsap | 70 | 65 | 27.1 | .484 | .365 | .727 | 7.2 | 2.0 | 1.2 | .8 | 12.6 |
| Monté Morris | 82 | 6 | 24.0 | .493 | .414 | .802 | 2.4 | 3.6 | .9 | .0 | 10.4 |
| Jamal Murray | 75 | 74 | 32.6 | .437 | .367 | .848 | 4.2 | 4.8 | .9 | .4 | 18.2 |
| Mason Plumlee | 82 | 17 | 21.1 | .593 | .200 | .561 | 6.4 | 3.0 | .8 | .9 | 7.8 |
| Isaiah Thomas | 12 | 0 | 15.1 | .343 | .279 | .630 | 1.1 | 1.9 | .4 | .1 | 8.1 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt | 17 | 0 | 4.1 | .474 | .000 | .600 | 1.4 | .2 | .4 | .1 | 1.4 |
| Thomas Welsh | 11 | 0 | 3.3 | .538 | .429 | .500 | .4 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 1.6 |
| Nick Young | 4 | 0 | 9.3 | .333 | .375 | .000 | .3 | .5 | .0 | .3 | 2.3 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Barton | 14 | 3 | 23.4 | .348 | .273 | .692 | 4.8 | 1.7 | .3 | .6 | 9.1 |
| Malik Beasley | 14 | 0 | 20.1 | .387 | .404 | .710 | 3.4 | 1.0 | .2 | .1 | 8.1 |
| Torrey Craig | 14 | 11 | 23.6 | .478 | .472 | .563 | 5.1 | .9 | .5 | .4 | 6.6 |
| Gary Harris | 14 | 14 | 37.0 | .462 | .351 | .868 | 4.1 | 2.3 | .9 | .6 | 14.2 |
| Juan Hernangómez | 5 | 0 | 2.9 | .333 | .500 | .000 | .6 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .6 |
| Nikola Jokić | 14 | 14 | 39.7 | .506 | .393 | .846 | 13.0 | 8.4 | 1.1 | .9 | 25.1 |
| Trey Lyles | 3 | 0 | 2.7 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .3 | .7 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Paul Millsap | 14 | 14 | 33.5 | .468 | .316 | .770 | 6.7 | .8 | .9 | 1.1 | 14.6 |
| Monté Morris | 14 | 0 | 16.0 | .384 | .000 | .692 | 1.4 | 2.6 | .4 | .1 | 5.4 |
| Jamal Murray | 14 | 14 | 36.3 | .425 | .337 | .903 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 1.0 | .1 | 21.3 |
| Mason Plumlee | 14 | 0 | 15.6 | .511 | .000 | .571 | 4.4 | 1.5 | .5 | .7 | 4.6 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt | 3 | 0 | 1.6 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .3 | .0 |
Transactions
Trades
| June 21, 2018[1] | To Denver Nuggets Draft rights to Jarred Vanderbilt |
To Orlando Magic Draft rights to Justin Jackson 2019 second-round pick |
| July 6, 2018[2] | To Denver Nuggets Cash considerations |
To Philadelphia 76ers Wilson Chandler 2021 second-round pick Right to swap 2022 second-round picks |
| July 13, 2018[3] | To Denver Nuggets Isaiah Whitehead |
To Brooklyn Nets Kenneth Faried Darrell Arthur 2019 first-round pick 2020 second-round pick |
Contracts
Re-signed
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Will Barton[4] | July 9, 2018 |
| Nikola Jokić[5] | July 9, 2018 |
| Torrey Craig[6] | July 10, 2018 |
| Monté Morris[7] | July 25, 2018 |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former Team |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Thomas[8] | July 16, 2018 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Thomas Welsh[9] | July 19, 2018; Two-way contract | UCLA Bruins |
| Emanuel Terry[10] | August 7, 2018 | Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters |
| DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell[10] | August 7, 2018; Two-way contract |  Bakken Bears |
| Brandon Goodwin[11] | November 29, 2018; Injury hardship | Memphis Hustle |
| Nick Young[12] | December 10, 2018; Injury hardship | Golden State Warriors |
| Brandon Goodwin[13] | December 16, 2018; Two-way contract | Memphis Hustle |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason Left | New Team |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Whitehead[14] | Waived |  Lokomotiv Kuban |
| Devin Harris[15] | Free Agent | Dallas Mavericks |
| Emanuel Terry[16] | Waived | Canton Charge |
| Brandon Goodwin[17] | Waived | Memphis Hustle |
| DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell[13] | Waived |  Hapeol Tel Aviv |
| Nick Young[18] | Waived | Free Agent |