| 2022–23 Denver Nuggets season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
NBA champions | |||
Conference champions | |||
Division champions | |||
| Head coach | Michael Malone | ||
| President | Josh Kroenke | ||
| General manager | Calvin Booth | ||
| Owner | Ann Walton Kroenke | ||
| Arena | Ball Arena | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 53–29 (.646) | ||
| Place | Division: 1st (Northwest) Conference: 1st (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | NBA champions (defeatedHeat 4–1) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | Altitude Sports and Entertainment | ||
| Radio | KKSE | ||
| |||
The2022–23 Denver Nuggets season was the 47th season for the franchise in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The season culminated in a win in theNBA Finals, their first title in franchise history, including their time in theABA.
On April 5, 2023, the Nuggets clinched the top seed in theWestern Conference for the first time in franchise history.[1] In the first round of theplayoffs, the Nuggets eliminated their division rivals, theMinnesota Timberwolves, in five games. In the conference semifinals, they defeated the 4th seededPhoenix Suns in six games to advance to theWestern Conference Finals for the second time in four years. The Nuggets made the Finals for the first time in history by sweeping the 7th seededLos Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals to advance to the2023 NBA Finals.
On June 12, 2023, Denver won their first championship in franchise history after a 94–89 win against theMiami Heat, defeating them in 5 games. They joined theSan Antonio Spurs as the only former ABA franchises to win a championship in the NBA, although neither team had won a title in the old league.HoopsHype would later rank this squad as the team with the fifth-easiest path to winning theNBA Finals in 2024 (in terms of the records of their opponents) due to the improbable route they had to take to win it all this season (first by beating a #8 seed, then a #4 seed, before beating a #7 seed in the Western Conference Finals and then a #8 seed (who originally started out as a #7 seed before theplay-in tournament began) in order to win the NBA Finals).[2]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position(s) | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Christian Braun | SG |  United States | Kansas |
The Nuggets own their first round pick;[3] their second-round pick was traded toMinnesota viaPhiladelphia. A second-round pick Denver traded to theMiami Heat would later be forfeited by them after they violated tampering rules with free agency the previous season.
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| Head coach Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c –Denver Nuggets | 53 | 29 | .646 | – | 34–7 | 19–22 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x –Minnesota Timberwolves | 42 | 40 | .512 | 11.0 | 22–19 | 20–21 | 8–8 | 82 |
| pi –Oklahoma City Thunder | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13.0 | 24–17 | 16–25 | 9–7 | 82 |
| Utah Jazz | 37 | 45 | .451 | 16.0 | 23–18 | 14–27 | 6–10 | 82 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 20.0 | 17–24 | 16–25 | 7–9 | 82 |
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c –Denver Nuggets * | 53 | 29 | .646 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y –Memphis Grizzlies * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 3 | y –Sacramento Kings * | 48 | 34 | .585 | 5.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x –Phoenix Suns | 45 | 37 | .549 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x –Los Angeles Clippers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x –Golden State Warriors | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x –Los Angeles Lakers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x –Minnesota Timberwolves | 42 | 40 | .512 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 9 | pi –New Orleans Pelicans | 42 | 40 | .512 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi –Oklahoma City Thunder | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Dallas Mavericks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 15.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | 37 | 45 | .451 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Portland Trail Blazers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Houston Rockets | 22 | 60 | .268 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 15 | San Antonio Spurs | 22 | 60 | .268 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 2022 preseason game log Total: 3–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 2–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 3–2 (home: 1–1; road: 2–1)
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| 2022–23 preseason schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–23 game log Total: 53–29 (Home: 34–7; Road: 19–22) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 4–3 (home: 3–0; road: 1–3)
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November: 10–4 (home: 3–2; road: 7–2)
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December: 9–5 (home: 7–1; road: 2–4)
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January: 12–4 (home: 10–1; road: 2–3)
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February: 9–3 (home: 5–0; road: 4–3)
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March: 7–7 (home: 4–3; road: 3–4)
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April: 2–3 (home: 2–0; road: 0–3)
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| 2022–23 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 playoff game log Total: 16–4 (Home: 10–1; Road: 6–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
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Conference Finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
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NBA Finals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
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| 2023 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Braun | 76 | 6 | 15.5 | .495 | .354 | .625 | 2.4 | .8 | .5 | .2 | 4.7 |
| Bruce Brown | 80 | 31 | 28.5 | .483 | .358 | .758 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.1 | .6 | 11.5 |
| Thomas Bryant | 18 | 1 | 11.4 | .485 | .444 | .722 | 3.3 | .1 | .1 | .4 | 4.6 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 76 | 76 | 31.3 | .462 | .423 | .824 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 1.5 | .5 | 10.8 |
| Vlatko Čančar | 60 | 9 | 14.8 | .476 | .374 | .927 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .4 | .2 | 5.0 |
| Aaron Gordon | 68 | 68 | 30.2 | .564 | .347 | .608 | 6.6 | 3.0 | .8 | .8 | 16.3 |
| Jeff Green | 56 | 4 | 19.5 | .488 | .288 | .744 | 2.6 | 1.2 | .3 | .3 | 7.8 |
| Bones Hyland | 42 | 1 | 19.5 | .399 | .378 | .866 | 2.0 | 3.0 | .7 | .3 | 12.1 |
| Reggie Jackson | 16 | 2 | 19.9 | .383 | .279 | .833 | 1.8 | 3.1 | .6 | .1 | 7.9 |
| Nikola Jokić | 69 | 69 | 33.7 | .632 | .383 | .822 | 11.8 | 9.8 | 1.3 | .7 | 24.5 |
| DeAndre Jordan | 39 | 8 | 15.0 | .765 | 1.000 | .458 | 5.2 | .9 | .3 | .6 | 5.1 |
| Jamal Murray | 65 | 65 | 32.8 | .454 | .398 | .833 | 4.0 | 6.2 | 1.0 | .2 | 20.0 |
| Zeke Nnaji | 53 | 5 | 13.7 | .561 | .262 | .645 | 2.6 | .3 | .3 | .4 | 5.2 |
| Michael Porter Jr. | 62 | 62 | 29.0 | .487 | .414 | .800 | 5.5 | 1.0 | .6 | .5 | 17.4 |
| Davon Reed | 35 | 1 | 9.0 | .313 | .364 | .750 | 1.6 | .5 | .4 | .1 | 2.3 |
| Ish Smith | 43 | 0 | 9.3 | .397 | .167 | .500 | 1.3 | 2.3 | .2 | .2 | 2.5 |
| Peyton Watson | 23 | 2 | 8.1 | .492 | .429 | .550 | 1.6 | .5 | .1 | .5 | 3.3 |
| Jack White | 17 | 0 | 3.9 | .421 | .333 | .667 | 1.0 | .2 | .2 | .1 | 1.2 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Braun | 19 | 0 | 13.0 | .533 | .200 | .579 | 2.1 | .6 | .6 | .2 | 3.2 |
| Bruce Brown | 20 | 0 | 26.6 | .511 | .316 | .857 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .5 | 12.0 |
| Thomas Bryant | 1 | 0 | .5 | – | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 20 | 20 | 33.5 | .457 | .380 | .829 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .7 | 10.6 |
| Vlatko Čančar | 5 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | .000 | – | .6 | .2 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Aaron Gordon | 20 | 20 | 35.6 | .518 | .391 | .652 | 6.0 | 2.6 | .6 | .7 | 13.3 |
| Jeff Green | 20 | 0 | 17.2 | .452 | .321 | .895 | 1.6 | .7 | .3 | .4 | 4.1 |
| Reggie Jackson | 6 | 0 | 3.0 | .500 | .500 | – | .3 | .3 | .2 | .0 | .5 |
| Nikola Jokić | 20 | 20 | 39.4 | .548 | .461 | .799 | 13.5 | 9.5 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 30.0 |
| DeAndre Jordan | 4 | 0 | 3.4 | .667 | – | .500 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | .3 | 1.3 |
| Jamal Murray | 20 | 20 | 39.9 | .473 | .396 | .926 | 5.7 | 7.1 | 1.5 | .3 | 26.1 |
| Zeke Nnaji | 5 | 0 | 2.4 | .500 | .333 | – | .4 | .0 | .2 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Michael Porter Jr. | 20 | 20 | 32.6 | .423 | .351 | .793 | 8.1 | 1.6 | .5 | .6 | 13.4 |
| Ish Smith | 4 | 0 | 2.9 | .500 | – | – | .3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .5 |
| Peyton Watson | 5 | 0 | 2.7 | .400 | .500 | – | .8 | .2 | .0 | .2 | 1.0 |
| Players Added Via draft Via trade Via free agency | Players Lost Via trade Via free agency |
| June 23, 2022[4][5] | ToDenver Nuggets Draft rights toPeyton Watson (No. 30) 2023 second-round pick[b] 2024 second-round pick[c] | ToOklahoma City Thunder JaMychal Green 2027 protected first-round pick[d] |
| July 6, 2022[6][7] | ToDenver Nuggets Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Ish Smith | ToWashington Wizards Will Barton Monté Morris |
| July 6, 2022[8] | ToDenver Nuggets Draft rights toIsmaël Kamagate (No. 46) | ToPortland Trail Blazers 2024 second-round pick[e] |
| February 9, 2023[9][10][11][12] | Four-team trade | |
| ToDenver Nuggets Thomas Bryant (from Lakers) | ToLos Angeles Clippers Bones Hyland (from Denver) | |
| ToLos Angeles Lakers Mo Bamba (from Orlando) | ToOrlando Magic Patrick Beverley (from Lakers) | |
| Date | Player | Signed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 7, 2022 | Vlatko Čančar | 3-year contract | [13] |
| July 8, 2022 | Nikola Jokić | 5-year extension | [14] |
| July 9, 2022 | Davon Reed | 2-year contract | [15] |
| July 17, 2022 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 2-year extension | [16] |
| Date | Player | Former team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 3, 2022 | Collin Gillespie(two-way) | Villanova | [17] |
| July 7, 2022 | Bruce Brown | Brooklyn Nets | [18] |
| July 12, 2022 | DeAndre Jordan | Philadelphia 76ers | [19] |
| July 19, 2022 | Jack White(two-way) | Melbourne United | [20] |
| February 14, 2023 | Reggie Jackson | Charlotte Hornets | [21] |
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 12, 2022 | Bryn Forbes | Free Agent | Minnesota Timberwolves | [22] |
| July 17, 2022 | Markus Howard | Free Agent | Saski Baskonia | [23] |
| July 21, 2022 | Austin Rivers | Free Agent | Minnesota Timberwolves | [24] |
| October 18, 2022 | Facundo Campazzo | Free Agent | Dallas Mavericks | [25] |
| April 11, 2023 | DeMarcus Cousins | Free Agent | Guaynabo Mets | [26] |
