NBA Game Preview - Denver at Charlotte

Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

Denver suffered a crushing blow to its playoff hopes when the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Nuggets 122-113 on Wednesday to take over sole possession of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with less than 10 games to go.

And to add insult to injury, the man most responsible for the loss was former Nugget Jusuf Nurkic, who was traded in February to Portland. He claimed the game wasn't personal, but it sure appeared as if it was just that, personal.

The 7-foot center scored a career-high 33 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked three shots as Portland claimed its 12th win in 15 outings.

Denver now stands one game back of the coveted final spot. And while every loss increases the odds against them, the Nuggets have yet to thrown in towel.

"It is definitely still attainable," Nuggets guard Gary Harris told the Denver Post of the postseason. "If we win out, who says (the Trail Blazers) can't drop a few games? They've got a tough schedule just like us. Anything can happen. We just have to keep fighting to the end."

While the Nuggets prepared and were waiting for Friday's game against Charlotte, the gap between them and eighth-place Portland grew as the Trail Blazers beat Houston 117-107 on Thursday night.

The Nuggets are now 1 1/2 games behind the Trail Blazers.

The Nuggets face a taller task and might look back at Wednesday's loss as perhaps one of the most important of the season. They still have six road games and only two home games against New Orleans (who beat Denver 115-90 on Sunday and Oklahoma City, a team led by triple-double machine, Russell Westbrook.

Meanwhile, Portland plays six of its eight games at home, with four coming against teams currently in the playoffs.

Understandably, the Nuggets are in a high-stress situation.

"I've been in the league a long time, and you expect the unexpected," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told the Post. "If we stop believing and letting go of the rope, it could get ugly. I didn't get that sense (Thursday). Our guys are disappointed that we had a bad home loss against New Orleans and a tough loss against a Portland team that is playing very well. We have an opportunity to get back on track."

That opportunity comes against the Hornets, who earlier in the season were squarely in the middle of the playoff pack in the East.

But a mid- to late-season swoon doomed Charlotte's hopes of making the playoffs. And at 34-41 and three games out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the odds are stacked even further against the Hornets with only seven to play.

The Hornets have no margin for error and are going to need some help. All-Star guard Kemba Walker scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter at the Hornets staved off the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday to stay alive in the playoff race.

"We just stuck with the game, really," Walker told reporters after the game. "We made big plays, especially defensively, down the stretch."

And that's exactly what the Hornets will have to do if they're going to extend their season.

Friday's game will be special for the Plumlees -- Mason for Denver and Miles for Charlotte. The two could square off.

In addition, Walker needs one point to crack the 8,000 barrier.