DENVER (KDVR) — While the Denver Nuggets only needed one more win to finish the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and head to the Western Conference finals, they couldn’t pull it off and they weren’t even close.
The team lost by almost a record-breaking amount.
From the Minnesota Timberwolves leading 2-0 at the start of the series to the Nuggets destroying the Timberwolves with a 55-foot long shot. Between a heat pack thrown on the court and a six-figure fine, it’s safe to say the semifinals for the Western Conference have been anything but boring.
While the Nuggets walked into Game 6 against the Timberwolves one game ahead in the series, the last win they needed was blown away when the Timberwolves scored 115 points.
Worst NBA playoff losses in history
The Nuggets didn’t break the record for the worst loss in playoff history, but they came close to a record the team actually helped set in 2009. On Thursday, the Nuggets lost by 45 points, which goes down as the eighth-worst playoff score in NBA history.
| Point margin | Game, score | Date |
| 58 | Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Hornets (121-63) | 2009, Western Conference First Round |
| 58 | Minneapolis Lakers vs. St. Louis Hawks (133-75) | 1956, Western Division Semifinals |
| 56 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors (126-70) | 1973, Western Conference Finals |
| 54 | Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks | 2015, Eastern Conference First Round |
| 50 | Bucks vs. San Francisco Warriors (136-86) | 1971, Western Conference Semifinals |
| 47 | Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics (124-77) | 1995, Eastern Conference First Round |
| 47 | Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs (135-88) | 1986, Western Conference First Round |
| 45 | Timberwolves vs. Nuggets (115-70) | 2024, Western Conference Semifinals |
The Nuggets made the list for the top losses in playoff history twice. In 2009, the Nuggets scored 58 more points than the Hornets, setting the record only 13 points higher than the team’s deficit on Thursday.
While the Thursday night loss was ugly, there’s one more game for the Nuggets to earn their spot in the Western finals.
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