The 1988-89 NBA season was the Nuggets' 13th 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 22nd season as a franchise. During the off-season, the team signed free agent All-Star guard Walter Davis. The Nuggets got off to an 11–4 start to the season, but played below .500 afterwards, as

Bill Hanzlik William Henry Hanzlik (born December 6, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. College career A 6'7" guard, Hanzlik played college basketball at the University of Notre Dame. He was selected for the 1980 US Men's Ol ...

only played just 41 games due to a back injury. At midseason, the team traded

Jay Vincent Jay Fletcher Vincent (born June 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'7" forward, Vincent played at Michigan State University under coach, Jud Heathcote, where he teamed with Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser to win ...

and Calvin Natt to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

in exchange for

Dave Greenwood David Murphy-Kasim Greenwood (born May 27, 1957) is an American retired professional basketball player whose National Basketball Association (NBA) career spanned 12 years from 1979 to 1991. Greenwood made his NBA debut on October 13, 1979 and was ...

and Darwin Cook, and held a 25–23 record at the All-Star break. Despite losing six of their final eight games, the Nuggets finished third in the Midwest Division with a 44–38 record, while posting a very successful 35–6 home record.

Alex English Alexander English (born January 5, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and businessman. A South Carolina native, English played college basketball at the University of South Carolina. He was drafted in the second ...

averaged 26.5 points and 4.7 assists per game, and was selected for the

1989 NBA All-Star Game The 39th National Basketball Association All-Star Game was held at Houston on February 12, 1989. Karl Malone was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP). The east was composed of Mark Jackson, Kevin McHale, Michael Jordan, Patric ...

, while

Fat Lever Lafayette "Fat" Lever (; born August 18, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association. He later served as the director of player development for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA as we ...

averaged 19.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 2.7 steals per game, and Michael Adams provided the team with 18.5 points, 6.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. In addition, Davis played a sixth man role, and contributed 15.6 points per game off the bench, while

Danny Schayes Daniel Leslie Schayes (born May 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played for Syracuse University and played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), from 1981 until 1999. At 6' 11" and 235 pounds, h ...

provided with 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, and Wayne Cooper averaged 6.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. However, in the playoffs, due to injuries to Lever (thigh bruise), Adams (hamstring), and Schayes (sprained ankle), the Nuggets were swept by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in three straight games in the Western Conference First Round. Following the season, Cooper signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers, and Greenwood and Cook were both released to free agency.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

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

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 28 , @ Phoenix
L 103–104
, Walter Davis (34) ,

(12) ,

(17) , Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,471 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , April 30 , @ Phoenix
L 114–132
,

(36) , Michael Adams (12) ,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

(6) , Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,471 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 2 , Phoenix
L 121–130
, Walter Davis (26) ,

Elston Turner Elston Howard Turner Sr. (born June 10, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Playing career A 6'5" (1.96 ...

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Transactions

References

See also