The emotions were still so raw Thursday that Nuggets coach that Michael Malone did not conduct his standard season ending exit interviews. Instead, Malone vowed to touch base with each of his players in the coming days, after they cleaned out their lockers, underwent a final physical exam and went their separate ways to begin the offseason, still dazed from a season-ending overtime defeat at Minnesota Wednesday night.
The loss in a rare winner-take-all contest for the final Western Conference playoff berth squashed a thrilling end to Denver’s season. Six consecutive victories put the Nuggets on the verge of their first postseason appearance since 2013.