After six years the Denver Nuggets returned to the playoffs against an old nemesis in the San Antonio Spurs. As the two seed the Nuggets got the homecourt advantage but also the pressure to get off to a strong start. Perhaps the nerves got the better of them because they were absolutely awful from the floor. They shot 21% from three and scored just 96 points despite Nikola Jokic getting a triple double in his NBA Playoff debut. The Spurs used an all around effort with five players in double figures and overcame sub par perforamnces from their stars LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan.
Recap: Denver Nuggets shoot terrible and lose game one to San Antonio Spurs 101-96
