The Denver Nuggets are three wins away from achieving a feat fans of the franchise — and Colorado sports betting backers — have been eagerly awaiting for nearly a half-century.
The Nuggets won Game 1 of the team’s Western Conference Finals series against the L.A. Lakers (132-126) on Tuesday as they seek their first NBA Finals berth.
In total, Denver has reached the Western Conference Finals three times, losing to the Lakers in 1985, 2009 and 2020.
As for this year, oddsmakers at at BetMGM Sportsbook Colorado have the Nuggets at -225 to win Game 2 on Thursday and -250 to beat the Lakers in the series.
Denver’s championship futures on BetMGM Sportsbook Colorado are +190, coming in behind the Celtics (+105) and ahead of the Lakers (+475).
BetColorado.com wanted to stack up how the Nuggets’ 47-year Western Conference title drought compares against Denver’s four other professional sports teams.
Denver’s Championship History
Nuggets Have Chance to End Finals Drought
The Nuggets have given fans — and more recently Colorado sports betting apps customers — plenty of disappointment over the years.
Denver is tied with Portland and Brooklyn for the eighth-longest NBA title drought at 47 years, ranking behind other expansion era franchises like Phoenix and the L.A. Clippers (who have gone 54 and 52 years without a title, respectively).
Leaguewide, the longest title droughts belong to the Kings (71 years), Hawks (64 years) and the Suns, Clippers, Knicks and Jazz (49 years apiece).
City-wise, the Nuggets’ lack of playoff success dwarfs that of the Avalanche, Broncos, Rapids and Rockies — who have combined to win seven titles between them.
The Broncos and Rockies took 15 years apiece to reach the Super Bowl and World Series, with the former doing so for the first time in 1977, while the Rockies made their lone appearance in 2007.
The Avalanche wasted no time in winning it all, capturing the franchise’s first of three Stanley Cup titles in their first season after moving to Denver from Quebec City in 1996, while the Rapids made the MLS Cup in their second season (1997), while winning it all in 2010.
Now, it might be the Nuggets turn to play for their sport’s grandest prize, with the Michael Malone-coached club looking to knock off the Lakers after three losses to L.A. in the Western Conference Finals between 1985 and 2020.
