Mason Plumlee can easily recall the Nuggets’ loss in Portland last March, when Jusuf Nurkic blasted his former team and then wished its members a “happy summer.” Or when Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook drilled a buzzer-beating, game-winning 3-pointer in Denver in April.
Those down-the-stretch losses last season were the difference between Denver making the playoffs or sitting home. Now the Nuggets find themselves in a similar spot coming out of the all-star break — in the hunt to break their five-year postseason drought with 24 games to go, beginning Friday against San Antonio.
“Every couple games will make a difference in the standings,” said Plumlee, who expects to return this weekend from an eight-game absence due to a calf strain.