The 1977–78 NBA season was the Nuggets' 2nd season in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

and 11th season as a franchise.1977–78 Denver Nuggets
/ref> In the playoffs, the Nuggets defeated the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

in seven games in the Semifinals, winning their first playoff series in the NBA, before losing to the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

in six games in the Conference Finals.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 18 ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

W 119–103
, David Thompson (27) ,

Dan Issel Daniel Paul Issel (born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An outstanding collegian at the University of Kentucky, Issel was twice named an All-American en route to a school-record 25.7 points per ...

(12) , David Thompson (6) ,

McNichols Sports Arena McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games. Sports use It was ...

17,297 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 21 ,

W 127–111
,

(22) ,

(14) , Issel,

Calvin Calvin may refer to: Names * Calvin (given name) ** Particularly Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States * Calvin (surname) ** Particularly John Calvin, theologian Places In the United States * Calvin, Arkansas, a hamlet * Calvi ...

(6) ,

17,838 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , April 23 , @

L 112–143
, three players tied (16) ,

Anthony Roberts Anthony John Roberts (born 19 April 1970) is an Australian politician. He is the New South Wales Minister for Planning and the Minister for Homes in the Perrottet ministry since December 2021. Roberts is a member of the New South Wales Legisl ...

(8) , David Thompson (5) ,

MECCA Arena Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valle ...

10,938 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , April 25 , @

W 118–104
, David Thompson (34) ,

(14) ,

Wilkerson Wilkerson is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aaron Wilkerson (born 1989), American baseball player * Brad Wilkerson (born 1977), American baseball player * Brandie Wilkerson (born 1992), Canadian beach volleyball player * C ...

Sampson Sampson may refer to: Military * , several Royal Navy ships * , several US Navy ships * Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class * Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956 * SAMPSON, a multi-function radar ...

(5) ,

10,938 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , April 28 ,

L 112–117
, Bobby Jones (25) ,

(15) , Bob Wilkerson (8) ,

17,838 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , April 30 , @

L 91–119
, David Thompson (28) , Bobby Jones (10) , Bob Wilkerson (6) ,

10,938 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , May 3 ,

W 116–110
, David Thompson (37) , Bob Wilkerson (12) , David Thompson (6) ,

17,838 , 4–3 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 5 ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

W 116–107
,

(25) , Issel,

Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had b ...

(11) , Bob Wilkerson (10) ,

17,387 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 7 ,

L 111–121
,

(29) ,

(14) ,

Ralph Sampson Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...

(7) ,

17,838 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 10 , @

L 91–105
, David Thompson (21) ,

(8) ,

Jones Jones may refer to: People *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname *List of people with surname Jones * Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter Arts and entertainment * Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...

Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...

(3) ,

Seattle Center Coliseum Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located north of Downtown Seattle in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, for which it was or ...

14,098 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 12 , @

L 94–100
,

(27) ,

Darnell Hillman Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman (born August 29, 1949) is a former professional basketball player. Hillman graduated from Hiram W. Johnson High School. The 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) forward played college basketball at San Jose State University. Hill ...

(11) , Bob Wilkerson (8) ,

14,098 , 1–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 14 ,

W 123–114
, David Thompson (35) , Bobby Jones (11) , Bob Wilkerson (10) ,

17,006 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 17 , @

L 108–123
, David Thompson (21) ,

(16) , Bob Wilkerson (8) ,

14,098 , 2–4 , -

Awards and records

* David Thompson,

All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...

* Bobby Jones,

NBA All-Defensive First Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1977-78 Denver Nuggets Season Denver Nuggets seasons

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...