When the Denver Nuggets won their first-ever NBA championship in 2023, some skeptics dismissed it as a one-year wonder — the product of an unusually healthy roster and a relatively weak Western Conference.
But in 2024, the Nuggets silenced all doubts.
Behind the unrelenting brilliance of Nikola Jokić and the resurgence of Jamal Murray, Denver made another deep playoff push, returning to the NBA Finals and proving once and for all that their championship DNA is real, repeatable, and resilient.
🏆 Back-to-Back Finals: A Statement of Greatness
While Denver fell just short of repeating as champions in 2024 — losing to the Boston Celtics in six games — their return to the Finals in a loaded Western Conference solidified them as a legitimate dynasty in the making.
The Nuggets finished the regular season with a 57–25 record, good for second in the West, and then stormed through the playoffs with wins over:
Los Angeles Lakers (4–1)
Phoenix Suns (4–3)
Minnesota Timberwolves (4–2)
They were the only team in the 2024 playoffs to eliminate three 50-win opponents, showcasing their consistency, toughness, and elite two-man game.
🎯 Jokic: Still the Best Player in the World?
Nikola Jokić followed up his historic 2023 Finals MVP performance with another season for the ages. In 2023–24, he averaged:
26.4 points per game
12.9 rebounds
9.6 assists
58.3% shooting from the field
He also led the NBA in player efficiency rating (PER) and win shares, and continued to dominate as the center of Denver’s offense — literally and figuratively.
Jokić recorded 26 triple-doubles in the regular season and 6 more in the playoffs, further solidifying his status as the most complete offensive big man in league history.
> “There’s nothing he can’t do,” said head coach Michael Malone. “You can build a franchise, a philosophy, a championship around Nikola Jokić — and we have.”
🧨 Jamal Murray’s Redemption Arc
Murray, who tore his ACL in 2021 and missed the entire 2021–22 season, has now returned to All-Star form — and arguably beyond.
During the 2024 playoffs, he averaged:
24.1 points
6.3 assists
45% from three-point range
His clutch shot-making, ability to score off the dribble, and pick-and-roll chemistry with Jokić reminded fans of the “Bubble Murray” from 2020 — only this time, more polished, more poised, and with a championship pedigree.
> “People doubted me. I knew I just had to stay patient and grind,” Murray said after Game 5 of the Finals. “I’m not done yet.”
🔄 Depth, Defense, and Development
Denver’s strength wasn’t just its two stars. The growth of young players like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Zeke Nnaji, along with reliable veterans like Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Michael Porter Jr., gave the Nuggets a balanced, unselfish roster.
Their team defense improved, rising to a top-6 rating by season’s end, and Malone’s system focused on ball movement, spacing, and smart rotations — all built around Jokic’s court vision and basketball IQ.
