The last seven days were weird for the Denver Nuggets. After starting the season 10-2, they went just 2-2 last week with two wins on the road and two losses at Ball Arena in Denver.

Aaron Gordon suffered a hamstring strain in Friday’s big win over the Houston Rockets while the Nuggets were already playing shorthanded in the absence of Christian Braun, who suffered a severe ankle sprain the week before. David Adelman was forced to dip into his bench more than he had to start the season, and while some things worked in the wins, some lineup combinations were negatives in the losses.

Following the up and down week, the Nuggets stayed at the No. 2 spot on the NBA Power Rankings, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Once again, it seems that everyone else is competing for second place at the moment, as the Thunder look like one of the most dominant teams in league history to start their title defense, so the Nuggets are technically the best of the rest.

The NBA’s updated power rankings:

1. OKC
2. Nuggets
3. Rockets
4. Pistons
5. Cavs
6. Lakers
7. Suns
8. Spurs
9. Raptors
10. Knicks
11. Heat
12. Timberwolves
13. Magic
14. Hawks
15 76ers
16. Warriors
17. Bucks
18. Celtics
19. Bulls
20. Trail Blazers
21. Clippers
22. Grizzlies
23.… pic.twitter.com/knhTKkec9c

— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) November 24, 2025

Nikola Jokic put together another phenomenal week with an average of 35.5 points per game while shooting over 50% from the field. He also averaged a triple double with 13 rebounds and over 10 assists per game. Not too shabby for the three-time MVP who has won Western Conference Player of the Week two consecutive times.

While the home losses against the Bulls and Kings were puzzling, as the Nuggets couldn’t get the job done in the clutch in both games, getting the win in Houston was the most important outcome of the week, especially down two starters.

That contest felt like a playoff game given the size and physicality that Houston played with, but the Nuggets did a great job of shutting down Kevin Durant (13 points, 5-for-15 FG) en route to getting the win. Jamal Murray took over in the clutch, and Peyton Watson came up big on the defensive end of the floor.

WHAT. A. STOP.

Peyton Watson blocks Sengun with less than a minute to go! 🏀💥#NBAonPrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/arUOayL2FS

— NBA on Prime Video Philippines (@NBAPrimeVideoPH) November 22, 2025

Every NBA team has ups and downs throughout a season. While this was the weirdest week the Nuggets have had so far, it’s still clear that they’re the second-best unit in the league behind Oklahoma City. How they weather the storm with Gordon and Braun will be important for playoff positioning going forward, but at the end of the day, having Jokic and Murray makes them better than most teams in the league.