Nuggets' Key Stat Over Last Five Games Raises Major Red Flag

The Denver Nuggets are tied for the third-best record in the NBA through 17 games at 13-4, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons, but their last five games have sounded some alarms.

After winning ten of their first 12 games of the season, the Nuggets have lost two of their last five, and many are wondering what is going on. Of course, fingers can be pointed at the obvious fact that they are dealing with some key injuries with Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun both sidelined, but their struggles on the defensive end, specifically, have been extremely noticeable.

Over their last five games, the Nuggets have the NBA's sixth-worst defensive rating (120.0), ahead of the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, and LA Clippers.

Nuggets' defensive woes

Nov 22, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) walks back to the bench during a timeout while trailing during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Ball Arena. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Of course, this is a small sample size, but with plenty of games left to play with neither Gordon nor Braun in the lineup, they need to fix these mistakes as soon as possible.

One major factor has been fastbreak defense, as the Nuggets are allowing the second-most fastbreak points per game (19.0) in the NBA over the past five games, with the Clippers (21.4) the only team allowing more.

There was no doubt that having Braun and Gordon out of the lineup would impact the Nuggets' defense, but this is a drastic shift. Before these last five games, the Nuggets had a top-three defensive rating in the NBA, being the only team to be top three in offense and defense.

Luckily for Denver, they are still fifth in the NBA in offensive rating (122.2) over the last five games, but the defense is undoubtedly what changes games for them.

Best possession of zone defense from the Nuggets in this one.

Stiffling defense. pic.twitter.com/dy6rON47SQ
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) November 25, 2025

The Nuggets have allowed 120+ points in just four of their 17 games this season, which is an impressive mark and testament to their good defense, but they have lost three of those four games. When the Nuggets are giving up a lot of points, their offense is not able to do enough to keep them ahead, and this could be a problem as they continue to be down two starters.

The Nuggets' defense should certainly get back to normal, especially once they have Braun and Gordon in the lineup, but this recent trend is a red flag.

Nuggets' defensive woes

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