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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 12: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets reacts during a 130-116 Denver Nuggets win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome on November 12, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Denver Nuggets can clinch the 2026 NBA Playoffs with a Phoenix Suns loss and a Los Angeles Lakers win on Monday, March 28, according to the league.
The Nuggets are coming off a win against the Golden State Warriors, and while they face several concerning injuries to some of their key players, they are on the brink of making the postseason.
Denver has been one of the most successful teams in the NBA this decade, and if a few things go right for them, they could be in the playoffs for yet another time as a dangerous team others in the West will be afraid to go against in April, May, and potentially June.
Denver Nuggets Can Clinch Playoffs Tonight With Suns Loss, Lakers Win
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 21: Nikola Jokić #15 and Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets react during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on November 21, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
The Nuggets are currently 48-28 and fourth in the Western Conference standings, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Lakers, but crucially, ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets.
While rooting for a rival is something only seen in playoff clinching scenarios (oftentimes in the NFL), Denver will be hoping the Lakers can get a win on Monday night against the Washington Wizards.
They’ll also need the Suns to lose to the Memphis Grizzlies, but if those two things happen, the Nuggets could lose their final eight games of the regular season and still make the playoffs.
Denver has made the postseason in each of the past seven years, all while franchise star Nikola Jokic has cemented his resume as one of the best players in NBA history.
They won the title, the first in team history, in 2023, and while they haven’t made it past the second round since, the Nuggets expect to be a dangerous team others will not want to face in the postseason.
Nuggets Injury Report, Updates Aaron Gordon And Other Key Players
GettyOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MAY 05: Aaron Gordon #32 of the Denver Nuggets reacts during the first quarter of Round Two Game One of the 2025 NBA Playoffs O at Paycom Center on May 05, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
But while Denver is on the brink of an eighth consecutive playoff appearance, they have a few players on the injury report, a some of which left their latest win over the Warriors in concerning fashion.
But to start, Aaron Gordon sat out on Sunday with a calf injury. It’s expected that his absence isn’t a major concern, but as the forward is still ramping back up from a long-term hamstring injury that kept him out for a month and a half, keeping him healthy is a key priority for the Nuggets.
In what might be more concerning news, the team saw Cam Johnson (back), Zeke Nnaji (hip), and Spencer Jones (hamstring) all leave the game against Golden State with different injuries.
The full extent of each is still unknown, but while each is still officially listed as day-to-day, there is hope that none of them will miss an extended period.
“It’s just been so funny this year has been like that,” Nuggets head coach Adelman said after the game, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “It’s never a guard and a forward, or a guard and a center. It’s like, it’s just the whole (position) group goes out.”
For now, Denver will try to stay as healthy as possible, and while they are on the brink of clinching the playoffs yet again, the upcoming games won’t hold as much value for them compared to other teams further down in the standings.
Still, securing a top-four seed home-court advantage in the first round will be key, so even with the injuries, the Nuggets will likely remain competitive until they close out their 82-game schedule.
Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski
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