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1989–90 Denver Nuggets season

NBA professional basketball team season

NBA professional basketball team season

KMGH-TV Prime Sports Rocky Mountain (lost to Spurs 0–3)

The 1989–90 Denver Nuggets season was the 14th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 23rd season as a franchise. The Nuggets had the 15th overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Todd Lichti out of Stanford University.

The Nuggets got off to a fast start by winning 11 of their first 15 games, on their way to a solid 19–9 start to the regular season, and holding a 26–20 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team acquired Joe Barry Carroll from the New Jersey Nets. However, the team began to show their age as they finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 43–39 record, and earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Fat Lever averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game, while Alex English averaged 17.9 points per game, and sixth man Walter Davis provided the team with 17.5 points per game off the bench. In addition, Michael Adams contributed 15.5 points, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and led the league with 158 three-point field goals, while Blair Rasmussen provided with 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and Danny Schayes averaged 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Lichti contributed 8.0 points per game, Bill Hanzlik averaged 6.2 points per game, Tim Kempton provided with 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, and second-year forward Jerome Lane averaged 5.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida, Lever was selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his final All-Star appearance.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1990 NBA playoffs, the Nuggets faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star center, and Rookie of the Year, David Robinson, All-Star forward Terry Cummings, and second-year star Willie Anderson. The Nuggets lost the first two games to the Spurs on the road at the HemisFair Arena, before losing Game 3 at home, 131–120 at the McNichols Sports Arena, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.

Following the season, an era would come to an end in Denver as head coach Doug Moe was fired, while English signed as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks, Lever was traded to the Mavericks, Schayes signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Barry Carroll was released to free agency.

Draft picks

Main article: 1989 NBA draft

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalitySchool/Club team
115Todd LichtiSGStanford
242Michael CutrightSGMcNeese State
247Reginald TurnerSFAlabama-Birmingham

Roster

  • Doug Moe
  • Allan Bristow
  • Doug Moe Jr.

Roster notes

  • Point guard Eddie Hughes was waived on March 22, 1990.

Regular season

Season standings

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

Game log

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 26 | @ San Antonio | L 103–119 | Todd Lichti (22) | Todd Lichti (13) | Lichti, Adams (8) | HemisFair Arena 15,910 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 28 | @ San Antonio | L 120–129 | Fat Lever (26) | Fat Lever (16) | Fat Lever (9) | HemisFair Arena 15,910 | 0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | May 1 | San Antonio | L 120–131 | Alex English (24) | Lever, Rasmussen (10) | Fat Lever (8) | McNichols Sports Arena 15,604

0–3

Player statistics

Season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3FG%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
797434.1.402.366.8502.86.31.5.015.5
†302724.0.432.7436.41.8.92.011.9
69023.7.481.130.9122.62.2.9.117.5
65210.1.454.000.6672.1.7.6.11.8
808027.6.491.400.8803.62.8.6.317.9
81019.8.452.194.7432.62.31.0.46.2
†506.4.375.875.6.4.2.02.6
60714.9.411.408.6761.21.9.8.03.5
711414.9.490.000.6753.11.7.4.15.4
674614.3.469.000.3675.41.6.8.35.0
797935.8.443.414.8049.36.52.1.218.3
79416.8.486.000.7471.91.5.7.28.0
815524.6.497.000.8287.31.0.51.312.4
532222.5.494.000.8526.51.2.8.810.4

Playoffs

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3FG%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
3335.0.382.300.8752.06.01.3.013.0
3315.3.5631.0003.01.0.31.76.7
3023.3.400.0001.0003.02.0.3.014.0
3010.32.3.71.3.3.0
3325.3.568.8183.03.0.7.319.7
3026.3.294.3331.0003.33.71.7.77.0
3110.7.7781.0001.71.3.0.06.0
227.0.000.500.51.0.0.0.5
3337.7.373.143.92910.77.02.7.317.3
3023.3.517.000.7376.03.0.3.014.7
3028.0.396.9008.7.3.71.315.7

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

  • The Nuggets would win the 1990 McDonald's Open after winning games against Italy's Philips Milano and Yugoslavia's Jugoplastika.

Transactions

References

References

  1. "1989-90 Denver Nuggets Roster and Stats".
  2. "1989 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
  3. "NBA Games Played on February 8, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
  4. Goldaper, Sam. (February 22, 1990). "Knicks Trade Strickland to Spurs for Cheeks". The New York Times.
  5. (February 22, 1990). "NBA WEDNESDAY'S TRADES: Cheeks Dealt for Strickland; Carroll to Nuggets". Los Angeles Times.
  6. "1989–90 Denver Nuggets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
  7. "1989–90 Denver Nuggets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  8. Howard-Cooper, Scott. (February 11, 1990). "NBA ALL-STAR GAME: Entire Family Is Back Together--Almost". Los Angeles Times.
  9. (September 13, 2021). "1990 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
  10. "1990 NBA All-Star Game: East 130, West 113". Basketball-Reference.
  11. Hafner, Dan. (May 2, 1990). "Portland Victory Could Prove Costly: NBA Playoffs: Trail Blazers Win at Dallas, But Williams and Duckworth Are Injured. The Pistons and Spurs Also Sweep Their Series". Los Angeles Times.
  12. (May 2, 1990). "Spurs 131, Nuggets 120". United Press International.
  13. "1990 NBA Western Conference First Round: Nuggets vs. Spurs". Basketball-Reference.
  14. (September 7, 1990). "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Doug Moe Dismissed as Coach of Nuggets". The New York Times.
  15. (September 6, 1990). "Moe Fired as Nuggets Coach". United Press International.
  16. (August 15, 1990). "Mavericks Will Sign Alex English to Make Up for the Loss of Perkins". Los Angeles Times.
  17. (August 15, 1990). "Mavericks Sign English to One-Year Deal". United Press International.
  18. (August 16, 1990). "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Mavericks Sign English". The New York Times.
  19. (June 22, 1990). "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Nuggets Trade Lever to Dallas for 2 Picks". The New York Times.
  20. (June 22, 1990). "Mavericks Get Lever for a Pair of No. 1 Picks: NBA: Nuggets Receive the Ninth Selection in Next Wednesday's Draft, and a First-Round Choice in 1991". Los Angeles Times.
  21. (June 21, 1990). "Mavericks Trade Two First-Round Draft Choices to Nuggets for Lever". United Press International.
  22. (August 2, 1990). "A Trading Flurry Uncapped in NBA: Basketball: Ainge Goes to Portland, Schayes to Milwaukee, Pressey to San Antonio, Bol to Philadelphia After Salary Cap Raised by Nearly $2 Million". Los Angeles Times.
  23. Hente, Karl. (August 2, 1990). "As Salary Cap Rises, Players Fly Around NBA". The Washington Post.
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