After picking up a huge 11-point road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night, despite playing without Christian Braun and Cam Johnson, the Denver Nuggets have extended their win streak to seven games and improved their overall record to 10-2.
Not only has three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had a historic start to his season, but the Nuggets as a whole have joined elite company through 12 games.
Per Stats Perform’s Jake Coyne, the Nuggets have become the fifth team in NBA history to have 9+ of their first 12 games of the season be double-digit wins.
The 2025-26 Denver Nuggets are the fifth team in NBA history to have 9+ of their first 12 games be double-digit wins.
They join:
2024-25 Thunder (won Finals)
1996-97 Bulls (won Finals)
1984-85 Celtics (lost Finals)
1962-63 Celtics (won Finals) pic.twitter.com/CNNcnDOLv0
— Jake Coyne (@TheStatSquatch) November 16, 2025
Of course, that stat in itself is incredible, but it is the teams that Denver is joining on that list that make it even more special. The Nuggets have joined the 2024-25 OKC Thunder (won NBA Finals), 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (lost NBA Finals), 1984-85 Boston Celtics (lost NBA Finals), and 1962-63 Boston Celtics (won NBA Finals).
If the trend stays true, the Nuggets are en route to an NBA Finals appearance, although this is an extremely small sample size. Still, becoming just the fifth team to achieve this feat in the last 63 years is certainly notable.
How the Nuggets can keep the trend going
Winning nine of their first 12 games by ten or more points is incredible, and so far, there is no reason why they should not be the championship favorites anyway. Of course, the Thunder, who currently sit at 13-1, will be getting plenty of attention as title frontrunners throughout the season, but the Nuggets are right there with them.
Nov 15, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Through 12 games, the Nuggets have the NBA’s second-best offensive rating (trailing HOU) and second-best defensive rating (trailing OKC). The Nuggets are the only team in the league to be top four in both categories, and they are doing this while Nikola Jokic makes a case for his fourth MVP award.
Not only is Jokic playing some of the best basketball of his career, but Denver’s offseason additions are proving to maximize their potential. New players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas are making a huge difference in Denver, and while a six-week injury to Christian Braun could hurt the Nuggets in the short term, they have all the weapons to make a title run even more impressive than their win in 2023.
After taking the Thunder to seven games in the Western Conference Semifinals last postseason, there has to be confidence in Denver that they can take down the defending champs if they meet in the playoffs again.
As long as the Nuggets can stay as healthy as possible, there is no reason why they should not be able to continue the aforementioned trend by making a Finals appearance.
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