Emmanuel Mudiay goes up for a layup during the Nuggets game at the Dallas Mavericks earlier this season.
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Nuggets are at the halfway point of their season, exactly 41 games into it. So, who are they? Nuggets coach Michael Malone wants his team to get familiar with the answer to that question.
“I’m a big believer in making sure your team understands why you win and why you lose,” Malone said. “You can’t take for granted that they know.”
In that spirit we’ll take a statistical look at what is happening when the Nuggets are winning. Definitely things they’ll want to repeat in the second half of the season, which starts on Tuesday against Oklahoma City. Twelve stats, that when they’re in place, usually means the Nuggets are walking out that night with a victory.
The Nuggets win when…
Danilo Gallinari scores 20 points. Nuggets are 12-5 when Gallo hits the 20-point mark.
They score over 100. They are 14-9 in games over 100 points. Score 110, and that record improves to 7-2. The Nuggets have averaged 107.9 points in their wins and are a +6.7 in those games.
They shoot 50 percent. The Nuggets are an unblemished 7-0 in games in which they shoot over 50 percent, and average 47.6 percent from the field along with 40.1 percent from 3-point range in their 16 victories.
They hit the boards. The Nuggets are 16-10 when they outrebound their opponent this season. How important is that? Very. They are 0-15 when they don’t.
When Emmanuel Mudiay gets 6 or more assists. The Nuggets are 9-3 in those games… Interestingly enough, the Nuggets are 5-1 when Mudiay has six or more turnovers. Shhh…
They play on a Wednesday. This is the day of the Nuggets’ greatest success. They are 5-3 on Wednesdays this season, and have a losing record on every other day of the week except Monday (2-1). Now you’re wondering how many Wednesday games are left. I’ll tell you. There are eight.
They play close games. No coach likes constant nail-biters, but the Nuggets have thrived in them this season. They are 7-2 in games decided by three points or less, 5-1 in those contests at the Pepsi Center.
Faried gets a double-double. The Nuggets are 4-3 when Kenneth Faried records a double-double.
When the pace isn’t breakneck. Yes, you want the Nuggets to run their legs off. In their 16 wins, the Nuggets’ pace is 97.3, which is not fast at all. So, yes, they want to run. But no, that’s not the only way they win.
When Nikola Jokic hands out three or more assists. The Nuggets are 5-3 when the rookie dishes out at least three assists.
They play the Atlantic Division. This means you, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Brooklyn. The Nuggets are 2-0 against this division, with the bulk of the head-to-head matchups still to come.
They lead after three quarters. The Nuggets are 13-5 when leading after three quarters.
When the Nuggets hand out 25 or more assists. When the ball is moving and the Nuggets are sharing it, the wins generally come. They are 11-6 when handing out 25 more assists.
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
