2024 NBA Playoffs: Will The Denver Nuggets Go All The Way?

It’s been more than 30 years since the Denver Nuggets last came back to win a series that they started with consecutive defeats, which is an omen for a franchise that just lost two games to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves by a combined margin of 46 points.  

With Michael Malone’s squad falling at home to the visiting Timberwolves, 106-99 (in Game 1) and 106-80 (in Game 2), the defending NBA champs have their collective backs against the wall as they look to return serve in Minneapolis on Friday evening.  

At the moment, things aren’t looking rosy for the Nuggets Championship Odds, with oddsmakers from Bet365 Colorado listing the Nuggets as a 4.5-point underdog (with a +160) spread in Game 3 as the franchise looks for its first series win down 2-0 since they beat the Seattle Supersonics in five games during the first round of the 1994 NBA Playoffs (which was a best-of-five series).  

Using Sports-Reference.com, BetColorado took the percent chance results for teams going into game 3 that are down 2-0 to see how likely the Nuggets can come back. We found that 6 teams out of 9 teams lost the second round series when down 2-0.

Note: Data was from all NBA teams down 2-0 in a second round series during the past 5 years.

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NBA Teams Results When Down 2-0

Over the last half-decade, three out of the nine teams that fell into a 2-0 series hole in the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs came back to win, which should give Nuggets fans on Colorado betting apps some semblance of hope that there’s a shot at a comeback in the Mile High City.  

One also has to remember that the Nuggets have never come back from being down 2-0 to win a seven-game series in the club’s 48-year history, speaking to the daunting task that awaits Denver when Game 3 tips off in the Twin Cities on Friday evening.  

Those long odds are exemplified by the +475 odds to win the series that Bet365 has slapped on Malone’s team, though Denver will look to flip the script when the Nuggets and Timberwolves square off in the heart of Minnesota in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals later this week.