The Denver Nuggets are headed back to the postseason.
Thanks to the Phoenix Suns’ 115-111 loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, the Nuggets officially clinched a spot in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. As soon as that game went final, Denver’s postseason fate was sealed without even having to take the court.
The Los Angeles Lakers also clinched a playoff berth with the Suns’ loss, while simultaneously claiming the Pacific Division title. The Nuggets could face the Lakers in the postseason for the third time in four years.
For the Nuggets, the clinching marks another successful regular season push and keeps Denver among the Western Conference’s postseason contenders. It’s eight trips to the playoffs in a row and this year they’ll be at worst the sixth seed but could finish as high as third. It’s one of the best stretches of continued success in franchise history matched only by the Carmelo Anthony era and Alex English’s prime years in Denver. No surprise given how good and what Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have meant to the Mile High.
The Nuggets are back in action on Wednesday in Utah, then again on Saturday when they host the Spurs.
