Nikola Jokic Reveals Nuggets' Goal for Last 10 Games

The Denver Nuggets have won two straight games and five of their last seven to improve to 44-28 on the season. With just ten games left until the playoffs, the Nuggets sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, but less than a game separates them from the fourth-place Houston Rockets and sixth-place Minnesota Timberwolves.

Coming off a dominant win over the Portland Trail Blazers, it is very clear that every game matters for Denver for the rest of the season. Luckily, they got Peyton Watson back from a six-week absence, putting together a fully healthy lineup for the first time since November. After Sunday's win, Nikola Jokic was asked what the team's focus is for their final ten games. For him, it's simple.

"I mean, definitely to stay healthy," Jokic said. "To stay healthy and get collectively and in one direction and get everybody on board. Sacrifice if you need to sacrifice. Play harder if you need to play harder. Whatever it needs to be, we only have ten more games."

Nuggets need to stay healthy

The Nuggets have now had 11 games this season with their lineup at full strength. In those games, they are 9-2. With all of the injuries they have dealt with this season, they were desperate to get everyone back together, and they should be able to feel a significant difference in their final ten games.

Of course, it is not surprising how much better the Nuggets are when healthy, but their focus is now on staying healthy, as Jokic said. With their entire group available, they know they are capable of beating any team in the NBA, especially in a seven-game series.

These last ten games will be tricky for the Nuggets because, of course, they do not want to push their guys to exhaustion and injuries, but they need to go hard enough to climb the West standings. If the Nuggets can at least leapfrog the Rockets, they would have home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

🏆 PLAYOFF PICTURE 🏆

▪️ NYK (#3 in East) wins 6th straight
▪️ DEN (#5 in West), MIN (#6 in West), and PHX (#7 in West) all win

The NBA Playoffs presented by @Google begin April 18th! pic.twitter.com/HdvJmlH3Xm
— NBA (@NBA) March 23, 2026

What's next for the Nuggets?

Luckily, after playing one of the NBA's hardest schedules since the All-Star break, their opponents will ease up in these final ten games. The Nuggets have the 15th-hardest remaining schedule, with key matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs (2x), and Phoenix Suns. However, every other team they face is projected as a lottery team.

The Nuggets will certainly have a few chances to prove themselves, but at the same time, their last two games of the season are against the Thunder and Spurs. By that point, both teams will likely have the first and second seed, respectively, locked up and might decide to rest their star players.

Realistically, the Nuggets could have a cakewalk into the playoffs, but for now, all they can do is take it one game at a time and make sure they are getting adjusted to this new-look lineup while taking care of their bodies.

Denver's next game is a marquee road matchup against the Suns on Tuesday.