1988–89 Denver Nuggets season

1988–89 Denver Nuggets season
Head coachDoug Moe
ArenaMcNichols Sports Arena
Results
Record44–38 (.537)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Midwest)
Conference: 6th (Western)
Playoff finishWest First Round
(lost to Suns 0–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionKTVD
KMGH-TV
Prime Sports Rocky Mountain
(Dan Issel, Irv Brown)
RadioKOA

The 1988–89 Denver Nuggets season was the 13th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 22nd season as a franchise.[1] The Nuggets had the 23rd overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected power forward Jerome Lane from the University of Pittsburgh.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agents, All-Star guard Walter Davis,[5][6][7] and Elston Turner.

With the addition of Davis and Turner, the Nuggets got off to an 11–4 start to the regular season, but then lost 16 of their next 25 games, and later on held a 25–23 record at the All-Star break.[8] At mid-season, the team traded Jay Vincent, and Calvin Natt to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Dave Greenwood, and Darwin Cook.[9][10][11] Despite losing six of their final eight games of the season, the Nuggets finished in third place in the Midwest Division with a 44–38 record, and earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference;[12] the team also posted a very successful 35–6 home record at the McNichols Sports Arena during the regular season.[13][14]

Alex English averaged 26.5 points and 4.7 assists per game, while Fat Lever 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, and also led the league with 166 three-point field goals. In addition, Davis played a sixth man role off the bench, and contributed 15.6 points per game, while Danny Schayes provided with 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, Blair Rasmussen contributed 7.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, and Wayne Cooper averaged 6.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Bill Hanzlik contributed 4.9 points per game, but only played just 41 games due to a back injury,[15][16] and Turner provided with 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.[17]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, English was selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his final All-Star appearance.[18][19][20] Meanwhile, Adams participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout.[21][22] Lever finished tied in seventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.[23]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1989 NBA playoffs, the Nuggets faced off against the 3rd–seeded Phoenix Suns, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Tom Chambers, Sixth Man of the Year, Eddie Johnson, and second-year star, and Most Improved Player of the Year, Kevin Johnson. However, due to injuries to Lever (thigh bruise), Adams (hamstring), and Schayes (sprained ankle),[24][25][26] the Nuggets lost the first two games to the Suns on the road at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, before losing Game 3 at home, 130–121 at the McNichols Sports Arena, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.[27][28][29]

The Nuggets finished 16th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 527,337 at the McNichols Sports Arena during the regular season.[17][30] Following the season, Cooper signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers,[31][32][33] and Turner, Greenwood and Cook were all released to free agency.

Draft picks

Main article: 1988 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team
1 23 Jerome Lane PF/SF  United States Pittsburgh
2 43 Todd Mitchell F  United States Purdue
2 47 Vernon Maxwell SG  United States Florida
3 66 Dwight Boyd  United States Memphis

Roster

1988–89 Denver Nuggets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 14 Michael Adams 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 162 lb (73 kg) 1963–01–19 Boston College
G 1 Darwin Cook 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1958–08–06 Portland
C 42 Wayne Cooper 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956–11–16 New Orleans
G/F 6 Walter Davis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1954–09–09 North Carolina
F 43 Wayne Engelstad 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1965–12–06 UC Irvine
F 2 Alex English 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954–01–05 South Carolina
F 22 Dave Greenwood 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 222 lb (101 kg) 1957–05–27 UCLA
F 24 Bill Hanzlik 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1957–12–06 Notre Dame
G 15 Eddie Hughes 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1960–05–26 Colorado State
F 35 Jerome Lane 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1966–12–04 Pittsburgh
G 12 Fat Lever 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1960–08–18 Arizona State
C 41 Blair Rasmussen 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1962–11–13 Oregon
C 34 Danny Schayes 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1959–05–10 Syracuse
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Utah Jazz 51 31 .622 – 34–7 17–24 19–11
x-Houston Rockets 45 37 .549 6 31–10 14–27 19–11
x-Denver Nuggets 44 38 .537 7 35–6 9–32 18–12
Dallas Mavericks 38 44 .463 13 24–17 14–27 19–11
San Antonio Spurs 21 61 .256 30 18–23 3–38 9–21
Miami Heat 15 67 .183 36 12–29 3–38 6–24
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Los Angeles Lakers 57 25 .695 –
2 y-Utah Jazz 51 31 .622 6
3 x-Phoenix Suns 55 27 .671 2
4 x-Seattle SuperSonics 47 35 .573 10
5 x-Houston Rockets 45 37 .549 12
6 x-Denver Nuggets 44 38 .537 13
7 x-Golden State Warriors 43 39 .524 14
8 x-Portland Trail Blazers 39 43 .476 18
9 Dallas Mavericks 38 44 .463 19
10 Sacramento Kings 27 55 .329 30
11 San Antonio Spurs 21 61 .256 36
12 Los Angeles Clippers 21 61 .256 36
13 Miami Heat 15 67 .183 42
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

Playoffs

1989 playoff game log
First round: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 28 @ Phoenix L 103–104 Walter Davis (34) Fat Lever (12) Fat Lever (17) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,471 		0–1
2 April 30 @ Phoenix L 114–132 Alex English (36) Michael Adams (12) English, Cook (6) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,471 		0–2
3 May 2 Phoenix L 121–130 Walter Davis (26) Elston Turner (7) Bill Hanzlik (6) McNichols Sports Arena
12,660 		0–3
1989 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Awards and records

Transactions

References

  1. ^ "1988-89 Denver Nuggets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Goldaper, Sam (June 29, 1988). "N.B.A. Draft; Manning, Then 3-Way Trade Give Hope to Lowly Clippers". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  3. ^ Love, Ian (June 29, 1988). "The Los Angeles Clippers Gave Up the League's Best..." United Press International. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  4. ^ "1988 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  5. ^ "Sports People; Davis Joins Nuggets". The New York Times. July 7, 1988. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  6. ^ "Bullets Won't Keep Moses Malone; Suns Lose Davis to Nuggets". Los Angeles Times. July 7, 1988. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Changing of Guard: Davis In; Evans, Dunn on Way Out of Denver Lineup". Deseret News. July 7, 1988. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 9, 1989". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  9. ^ "The Denver Nuggets Traded Veteran Forwards Calvin Natt and..." United Press International. January 26, 1989. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Denver Nuggets Traded Forwards Calvin Natt..." Los Angeles Times. January 27, 1989. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  11. ^ "Disgruntled Nuggets Traded for Pair of Spurs". Deseret News. January 27, 1989. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "1988–89 Denver Nuggets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  13. ^ Bock, Hal (April 30, 1989). "NBA Road Warriors Have Difficult Task". The Prescott Courier. p. 4B. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Warriors Have Jazz on the Edge". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 2, 1989. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "Around the NBA". The Washington Post. November 9, 1988. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  16. ^ "Hanzlik Re-signs with Nuggets". United Press International. September 25, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "1988–89 Denver Nuggets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  18. ^ McManis, Sam (February 12, 1989). "Today's All-Star Game May Lack the Usual Magic: Without Johnson and Bird, NBA Showcase Just Won't Be the Same". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  19. ^ "1989 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  20. ^ "1989 NBA All-Star Game: West 143, East 134". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  21. ^ "All-Star Lineups". Ocala Star-Banner. February 11, 1989. p. 5D. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  22. ^ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  23. ^ "1988–89 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  24. ^ "Denver Missing Two Starters". United Press International. May 1, 1989. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  25. ^ "Suns 132, Nuggets 114". Eugene Register-Guard. May 1, 1989. p. 3B. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  26. ^ "Nuggets Limp Into Denver". Boca Raton News. Associated Press. May 2, 1989. p. 4D. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  27. ^ "NBA Playoffs Roundup: Knicks Complete Sweep with Overtime Win". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 3, 1989. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  28. ^ "Pistons, Knicks, Suns Complete Playoff Sweeps; Bucks Take 2-1 Lead Over Hawks". Deseret News. Associated Press. May 3, 1989. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  29. ^ "1989 NBA Western Conference First Round: Nuggets vs. Suns". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  30. ^ "1988–89 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  31. ^ "THE SIDELINES: Wayne Cooper Signs with Blazers". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. July 24, 1989. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  32. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Blazers Sign Cooper". The New York Times. July 25, 1989. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  33. ^ "Cooper Signs with Trail Blazers". Deseret News. July 25, 1989. Retrieved April 3, 2023.

See also

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