Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets head into Thursday’s marquee matchup against the Boston Celtics with a 42-20 record. They are currently third in the West and are 1.5 games behind the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, who secured a 113-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
At this point, the top priority for the Nuggets is to secure that No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs. This takes precedence over everything else, including a supposed meet-up with the President in Washington.
Denver Nuggets Cancel White House Trip
The Nuggets were originally scheduled to do their courtesy call to the White House in January. It has been customary for NBA champion teams to visit the Oval Office to commemorate their title win. The Biden administration, however, postponed the visit because of a conflict in schedule.
For their part, it’s now the Nuggets organization who have decided to cancel the rescheduled trip. NBA insider Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report sheds light on this turn of events:
“Just last week I was informed that the Nuggets were concerned now because all of a sudden, after March 18, which is March 19, they play the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minnesota,” Haynes said. “And now that game is a little bit more important than they had expected when they did reschedule. It has No. 1 seed implications. I was told the Nuggets made a tough decision, but they’re canceling that trip to the White House to prioritize that Minnesota Timberwolves game on the 19th. … I want to make this clear, it was clearly a basketball decision.”
Sources: With Denver Nuggets prioritizing No. 1 seed and a pivotal matchup at Minnesota upcoming, I explain on @NBAonTNT why the champs have elected not to visit The White House. pic.twitter.com/cjc4fwGE0O
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 8, 2024
As Haynes said, this decision does not reflect the Nuggets’ political view. This is a decision that is motivated purely by their desire to take the No. 1 seed into the postseason.
Denver has a shot at winning the title again this year, which will make them back-to-back NBA champions. Perhaps they can schedule their visit to the White House if and when they achieve this gargantuan feat.
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