The Nuggets are used to finishing strong.

They’re used to walking down their opponents at the end of a close game. They’re used to ratcheting up their defensive intensity when the moment calls for it. They’re used to getting the exact shots they want, imposing their roster continuity, their calmness, their cohesion.

Their clutch-ness.

Three consecutive years, they’ve ranked top-three in “clutch time,” which the NBA defines as any scenario in which two teams are separated by five or fewer points in the last five minutes of a game (regulation or overtime). In five of the last six years, they’ve been a top-10 clutch team, only sliding to 13th when Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. both missed the entire 2021-22 season.

Even then, Denver finished with a positive net rating in the c

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