2020–21 Denver Nuggets season
2020–21 Denver Nuggets season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Michael Malone |
General manager | Calvin Booth |
President | Tim Connelly |
Owners | Ann Walton Kroenke |
Arena | Ball Arena[1] |
Results | |
Record | 47–25 (.653) |
Place | Division: 2nd (Northwest) Conference: 3rd (Western) |
Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost to Suns 0–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television | Altitude Sports and Entertainment |
Radio | KKSE |
The 2020–21 Denver Nuggets season was the 45th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the franchise's 54th season of existence overall.
On May 3, the Nuggets officially clinched a playoff spot for the third consecutive season.[2] In the First Round, the Nuggets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games, before getting swept in the conference semi-Finals by the eventual Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns.
Nikola Jokić was voted league MVP for the regular season, thereby becoming the first player in franchise history to win the award.[3]
Jamal Murray was setting career-highs in points and FG% until tearing the ACL in his left knee in April. Following surgery on April 21st, he missed the entire 2021-22 season and would not return until October 2022.[4]
Michael Porter Jr. broke out with more playing time in his second year removed from his second back surgery. He scored 19.0 points per game in an increased 31.3 minutes a night, shooting 44.5% from three.
A March 2021 trade for Magic forward Aaron Gordon in return for long-time Nugget Gary Harris completed the core of Jokić, Murray, Porter Jr., and Gordon that eventually won the NBA Finals in 2023.[5]
Draft
[edit]Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School / club team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22 | Zeke Nnaji | PF/C | ![]() | Arizona |
Roster
[edit]Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
[edit]Division
[edit]Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
z – Utah Jazz | 52 | 20 | .722 | – | 31–5 | 21–15 | 7–5 | 72 |
x – Denver Nuggets | 47 | 25 | .653 | 5.0 | 25–11 | 22–14 | 9–3 | 72 |
x – Portland Trail Blazers | 42 | 30 | .583 | 10.0 | 20–16 | 22–14 | 6–6 | 72 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 23 | 49 | .319 | 29.0 | 13–23 | 10–26 | 5–7 | 72 |
Oklahoma City Thunder | 22 | 50 | .306 | 30.0 | 10–26 | 12–24 | 3–9 | 72 |
Conference
[edit]Western Conference | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
1 | z – Utah Jazz * | 52 | 20 | .722 | – | 72 |
2 | y – Phoenix Suns * | 51 | 21 | .708 | 1.0 | 72 |
3 | x – Denver Nuggets | 47 | 25 | .653 | 5.0 | 72 |
4 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 47 | 25 | .653 | 5.0 | 72 |
5 | y – Dallas Mavericks * | 42 | 30 | .583 | 10.0 | 72 |
6 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 42 | 30 | .583 | 10.0 | 72 |
7 | x – Los Angeles Lakers | 42 | 30 | .583 | 10.0 | 72 |
8 | pi – Golden State Warriors | 39 | 33 | .542 | 13.0 | 72 |
9 | x – Memphis Grizzlies | 38 | 34 | .528 | 14.0 | 72 |
10 | pi – San Antonio Spurs | 33 | 39 | .458 | 19.0 | 72 |
11 | New Orleans Pelicans | 31 | 41 | .431 | 21.0 | 72 |
12 | Sacramento Kings | 31 | 41 | .431 | 21.0 | 72 |
13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 23 | 49 | .319 | 29.0 | 72 |
14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 22 | 50 | .306 | 30.0 | 72 |
15 | Houston Rockets | 17 | 55 | .236 | 35.0 | 72 |
Notes
- z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
- c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
- y – Clinched division title
- x – Clinched playoff spot
- pb – Clinched play-in spot
- o – Eliminated from playoff contention
- * – Division leader
Game log
[edit]Preseason
[edit]2020 preseason game log Total: 2–1 (home: 2–0; road: 0–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 2–1 (home: 2–0; road: 0–1)
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2020–21 preseason schedule |
Regular season
[edit]Playoffs
[edit]2021 playoff game log Total: 4–6 (home: 2–3; road: 2–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
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Conference semifinals: 0–4 (home: 0–2; road: 0–2)
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2021 playoff schedule |
Player statistics
[edit]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
[edit]Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Will Barton | 56 | 52 | 31.0 | .426 | .381 | .785 | 4.0 | 3.2 | .9 | .4 | 12.7 |
Bol Bol | 32 | 2 | 5.0 | .431 | .375 | .667 | .8 | .2 | .1 | .3 | 2.2 |
Facundo Campazzo | 65 | 19 | 21.9 | .381 | .352 | .879 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 1.2 | .2 | 6.1 |
Vlatko Čančar | 41 | 1 | 6.9 | .458 | .273 | .769 | 1.2 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 2.1 |
Gary Clark | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
PJ Dozier | 50 | 6 | 21.8 | .417 | .315 | .636 | 3.6 | 1.8 | .6 | .4 | 7.7 |
Aaron Gordon | 25 | 25 | 25.9 | .500 | .266 | .705 | 4.7 | 2.2 | .7 | .6 | 10.2 |
JaMychal Green | 58 | 5 | 19.3 | .463 | .399 | .807 | 4.8 | .9 | .4 | .4 | 8.1 |
R. J. Hampton | 25 | 0 | 9.3 | .417 | .278 | .750 | 2.0 | .6 | .2 | .1 | 2.6 |
Gary Harris | 19 | 19 | 30.6 | .442 | .320 | .733 | 2.5 | 1.7 | .9 | .2 | 9.7 |
Shaquille Harrison | 17 | 0 | 16.3 | .345 | .214 | .813 | 2.3 | .9 | .9 | .3 | 3.3 |
Isaiah Hartenstein | 30 | 0 | 9.1 | .513 | .000 | .611 | 2.8 | .5 | .4 | .7 | 3.5 |
Markus Howard | 37 | 1 | 5.5 | .377 | .277 | .778 | .6 | .5 | .1 | .0 | 2.8 |
Nikola Jokić | 72 | 72 | 34.6 | .566 | .388 | .868 | 10.8 | 8.3 | 1.3 | .7 | 26.4 |
Javale McGee | 13 | 1 | 13.5 | .478 | .000 | .667 | 5.3 | .5 | .2 | 1.1 | 5.5 |
Paul Millsap | 56 | 36 | 20.8 | .476 | .343 | .724 | 4.7 | 1.8 | .9 | .6 | 9.0 |
Monté Morris | 47 | 13 | 25.5 | .481 | .381 | .795 | 2.0 | 3.2 | .7 | .3 | 10.2 |
Jamal Murray | 48 | 48 | 35.5 | .477 | .408 | .869 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 1.3 | .3 | 21.2 |
Zeke Nnaji | 42 | 1 | 9.5 | .481 | .407 | .800 | 1.5 | .2 | .2 | .1 | 3.2 |
Michael Porter | 61 | 54 | 31.3 | .542 | .445 | .791 | 7.3 | 1.1 | .7 | .9 | 19.0 |
Austin Rivers | 15 | 5 | 26.9 | .418 | .375 | .706 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | .1 | 8.7 |
Greg Whittington | 4 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
Playoffs
[edit]Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Will Barton | 3 | 1 | 27.7 | .442 | .333 | 1.000 | 4.3 | 2.7 | .7 | .3 | 16.3 |
Bol Bol | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .3 | .7 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
Facundo Campazzo | 10 | 9 | 27.0 | .392 | .396 | .842 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 1.4 | .4 | 9.3 |
Vlatko Čančar | 5 | 0 | 4.2 | 1.000 | 1.000 | .800 | .6 | .2 | .2 | .2 | 2.2 |
Aaron Gordon | 10 | 10 | 29.9 | .434 | .391 | .640 | 5.4 | 2.0 | .5 | .3 | 11.1 |
JaMychal Green | 10 | 0 | 19.0 | .444 | .300 | .889 | 5.2 | 1.1 | .2 | .2 | 5.4 |
Shaquille Harrison | 9 | 0 | 4.4 | .750 | 1.000 | .667 | .9 | .3 | .3 | .3 | 1.0 |
Markus Howard | 9 | 0 | 12.4 | .405 | .423 | .500 | .8 | .4 | .0 | .1 | 4.7 |
Nikola Jokić | 10 | 10 | 34.5 | .509 | .377 | .836 | 11.6 | 5.0 | .6 | .9 | 29.8 |
Javale McGee | 4 | 0 | 8.5 | .300 | .000 | .333 | 3.0 | .8 | .3 | 1.3 | 2.0 |
Paul Millsap | 9 | 0 | 12.1 | .440 | .261 | .615 | 3.9 | 1.7 | .3 | .7 | 6.4 |
Monté Morris | 10 | 1 | 28.6 | .431 | .400 | .724 | 2.4 | 5.5 | 1.0 | .2 | 13.7 |
Zeke Nnaji | 5 | 0 | 3.6 | .500 | .429 | .500 | .4 | .4 | .2 | .0 | 2.4 |
Michael Porter | 10 | 10 | 33.2 | .474 | .397 | .810 | 6.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | .3 | 17.4 |
Austin Rivers | 10 | 9 | 30.5 | .435 | .413 | .813 | 1.7 | 2.1 | .2 | .3 | 9.2 |
Transactions
[edit]Overview
[edit]Players Added Via draft Via free agency
Via trade | Players Lost Via free agency Via trade Waived |
Trades
[edit]November 22, 2020[8] | To Denver Nuggets Cash considerations | To Detroit Pistons Jerami Grant (Sign and trade) |
November 24, 2020[9] | Four-team trade | |
To Denver Nuggets Rights to R. J. Hampton (#24) (from Milwaukee) | To Milwaukee Bucks Jrue Holiday (from New Orleans) | |
To New Orleans Pelicans Steven Adams (from Oklahoma City) | To Oklahoma City Thunder George Hill (from Milwaukee) | |
March 25, 2021[10] | To Denver Nuggets | To Orlando Magic Gary Harris |
March 25, 2021[11] | To Denver Nuggets | To Cleveland Cavaliers Isaiah Hartenstein |
Free agency
[edit]Re-signed
[edit]Player | Signed |
---|---|
Bol Bol[12] | November 24, 2020 (Converted from two-way contract) |
Paul Millsap[13] | December 3, 2020 |
Monté Morris[14] | December 9, 2020 |
Additions
[edit]Player | Signed | Former team |
---|---|---|
Greg Whittington[15] | November 24, 2020; Two-way contract | ![]() |
Isaiah Hartenstein[16] | November 30, 2020 | Houston Rockets |
Markus Howard[17] | November 30, 2020; Two-way contract | Marquette |
Facundo Campazzo[18] | November 30, 2020 | ![]() |
JaMychal Green[19] | November 30, 2020 | Los Angeles Clippers |
Shaquille Harrison[20] | April 9, 2021; Two-way contract | Utah Jazz |
Austin Rivers[21] | April 20, 2021; 10-day contract April 30, 2021[22] | New York Knicks |
Subtractions
[edit]Date | Player | Reason | New team |
---|---|---|---|
November 22, 2020 | Jerami Grant[8] | Free Agency (sign and trade) | Detroit Pistons |
November 22, 2020 | Keita Bates-Diop[23] | Waived | San Antonio Spurs |
November 26, 2020 | Torrey Craig[24] | Free Agency | Milwaukee Bucks |
November 27, 2020 | Noah Vonleh[25] | Free Agency | Chicago Bulls |
December 1, 2020 | Mason Plumlee[26] | Free Agency | Detroit Pistons |
December 3, 2020 | Troy Daniels | Free Agency | ![]() |
December 3, 2020 | Tyler Cook[27] | Free Agency | Minnesota Timberwolves |
April 9, 2021 | Greg Whittington[20] | Waived | ![]() |
April 9, 2021 | Gary Clark[20] | Waived | Philadelphia 76ers |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Singer, Mike (October 22, 2020). "After 21 years, Pepsi Center to be renamed Ball Arena as part of new partnership". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets clinch playoff spot, 3rd in the Western Conference". FOX31 Denver. May 3, 2021.
- ^ "Nikola Jokic wins 2020-21 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award". NBA.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Jamal Murray injury timeline: How Nuggets guard went from ACL tear to NBA champion". The Sporting News. June 12, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Nuggets Win Magic Trade After Finals Berth?". The Magic Insider. May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Pistons-Nuggets game postponed for Health and Safety Protocols". NBA.com. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "NBA Postpones 2 Upcoming Hornets Games". NBA.com. February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Pistons land Jerami Grant in sign-and-trade with Nuggets". NBA.com. November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "Pelicans acquire Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe in four-team trade, Jrue Holiday sent to Milwaukee". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets acquire Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark from Orlando Magic". NBA.com. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets acquire center JaVale McGee from Cleveland Cavaliers". NBA.com. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets convert two-way contract of Bol Bol to NBA contract". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets re-sign forward Paul Millsap". NBA.com. December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets sign Monte Morris to contract extension". NBA.com. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets sign Greg Whittington to two-way contract". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ "Nuggets sign center/forward Isaiah Hartenstein". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Nuggets sign guard Markus Howard to two-way contract". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets sign Facundo Campazzo to a multiyear contract". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets sign forward JaMychal Green". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Denver Nuggets sign guard Shaquille Harrison to two-way contract". NBA.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets Sign Austin Rivers to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ "Denver Nuggets sign Austin Rivers". NBA.com. April 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ "NBA Player Transactions". NBA.com. February 26, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ "Bucks Sign Torrey Craig, Bryn Forbes and Bobby Portis". NBA.com. November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ @chicagobulls (November 27, 2020). "We have signed forward Noah Vonleh" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Free Agents Mason Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor, Josh Jackson and Deividas Sirvydis". NBA.com. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "Capsules of Wolves players on training camp deals". FOXSports.com. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.