The Denver Nuggets host the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday in a regular-season finale that could decide the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Nikola Jokić is officially questionable after missing Friday’s game because of right wrist injury management, while every other Nuggets starter has been ruled out again.
That leaves Denver’s status in flux on a day that matters for more than one team. The NBA regular season ends Sunday, and the game also intersects with the league’s 65-game rule, which determines awards eligibility for regular-season honors.
The rule requires players to appear in at least 65 games while logging 20 minutes in each of those games. The league also allows two games in which a player needs only 15 minutes to count toward eligibility. Those details have turned late-season injury reports into a race against the calendar for several stars.
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Jokić’s situation is simpler and more immediate: if he plays, Denver gets one of the league’s biggest matchup draws back for a game that could shape the playoff bracket. If he sits, the Nuggets would again be without their full starting group against a Spurs team that may still have a say in the West race. The question is no longer about the broader playoff picture. It is whether Denver can enter the postseason with the seeding it wants while managing the health of its best player.
The stakes around Sunday also sit against a league-wide backdrop of players chasing or missing awards thresholds. Luka Dončić will not reach the 65-game mark this season and is expected to appeal. Deni Avdija still needs at least 15 minutes in Portland’s regular-season finale against Sacramento to become eligible, a reminder that the finish line has become just as important as the standings for players and teams alike.
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For Denver, the final decision on Jokić will shape how seriously the Nuggets can treat a game that could alter the West’s playoff order. For everyone else watching the bracket, Sunday is one of the last chances to see whether the regular season ends with the seeding settled or with one more turn before the postseason starts.
