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1995–96 Denver Nuggets season

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1995–96 Denver Nuggets season
Head coachBernie Bickerstaff
PresidentBernie Bickerstaff
General managerBernie Bickerstaff
ArenaMcNichols Sports Arena
Results
Record35–47 (.427)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Midwest)
Conference: 9th (Western)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television
RadioKOA
< 1994–95 1996–97 >

The 1995–96 Denver Nuggets season was the 20th season for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, and their 29th season as a franchise.[1]

Season summary

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Off-season

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The Nuggets had the 15th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Brent Barry out of Oregon State University, but soon traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for rookie power forward, and first-round draft pick Antonio McDyess from the University of Alabama.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Don MacLean and Doug Overton from the Washington Bullets.[5][6]

Regular season

[edit]

Despite the addition of McDyess and MacLean, the Nuggets struggled by losing eight of their first nine games of the regular season, as LaPhonso Ellis missed the first 37 games due to a knee injury.[7][8] Despite the slow start, the Nuggets soon recovered and won eight of their next nine games, leading to a 9–9 start to the season. However, the team soon fell below .500 in winning percentage, later on posting a six-game losing streak in January, and holding a 20–27 record at the All-Star break.[9]

In March, the Nuggets found themselves in the middle of an ugly controversy, as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the Star-Spangled Banner, protesting what he felt was the country's poor treatment to Muslims in the world; he was then suspended for one game by the league.[10][11][12] After his suspension, Abdul-Rauf agreed to stand and pray during the anthem by closing his eyes, and holding his hands out in front of his face with his head down.[13] However, the damage was done, and his reputation could not be repaired, as he was the consistent target of boos from fans,[14][15][16] before missing the remainder of the season due to ankle, and foot injuries after playing 57 games.[17][18][19] The Nuggets finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 35–47 record, and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs.[20]

Abdul-Rauf averaged 19.2 points and 6.8 assists per game, and also contributed 121 three-point field goals, while Dale Ellis averaged 14.9 points per game and led the Nuggets with 150 three-point field goals, and McDyess provided the team with 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, Dikembe Mutombo provided with 11.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, while Bryant Stith contributed 13.6 points and 1.4 steals per game, MacLean provided with 11.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, and LaPhonso Ellis averaged 10.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, second-year guard Jalen Rose contributed 10.0 points and 6.2 assists per game, Tom Hammonds averaged 4.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, and Reggie Williams contributed 4.6 points per game.[21]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Mutombo was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team,[22][23][24] while McDyess was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Western Conference Rookie team.[25][26] Mutombo also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.[27][28] The Nuggets finished 16th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 675,425 at the McNichols Sports Arena during the regular season.[21][29]

Aftermath

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Following the season, Abdul-Rauf was traded to the Sacramento Kings,[30][31][32] while Mutombo signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks after five seasons with the Nuggets.[33][34][35] Meanwhile, Rose and Williams were both traded to the Indiana Pacers,[36][31][32] and MacLean and Overton both signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.[37]

Draft picks

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Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team
1 15 Brent Barry (traded to LA Clippers) Shooting guard  United States Oregon State
2 44 Anthony Pelle Center  United States Fresno State

Roster

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1995–96 Denver Nuggets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 1 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Injured 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 162 lb (73 kg) 1969–03–09 LSU
C 8 Rastko Cvetković Injured 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1970–06–22 Serbia
F 3 Dale Ellis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1960–08–06 Tennessee
F 20 LaPhonso Ellis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1970–05–05 Notre Dame
C 50 Matt Fish 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1969–11–18 UNC Wilmington
G 9 Greg Grant 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) 140 lb (64 kg) 1966–08–29 TCNJ
F 21 Tom Hammonds 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–03–27 Georgia Tech
F 7 Don MacLean 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1970–01–16 UCLA
F 24 Antonio McDyess 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1974–09–07 Alabama
C 55 Dikembe Mutombo 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1966–06–25 Georgetown
G 11 Doug Overton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1969–08–03 La Salle
G 5 Jalen Rose 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1973–01–30 Michigan
G 23 Bryant Stith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1970–12–10 Virginia
F 34 Reggie Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1964–03–05 Georgetown
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Updated: March 29, 1996

Regular season

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Season standings

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Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs5923.720–33–826–1519–5
x-Utah Jazz5527.671434–721–2014–10
x-Houston Rockets4834.5851127–1421–2015–9
Denver Nuggets3547.4272424–1711–3013–11
Minnesota Timberwolves2656.3173317–249–3210–14
Dallas Mavericks2656.3173316–2510–3110–14
Vancouver Grizzlies1567.1834410–315–363–21
Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB GP
1 c-Seattle SuperSonics *6418.780–82
2 y-San Antonio Spurs *5923.720582
3 x-Utah Jazz5527.671982
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers5329.6461182
5 x-Houston Rockets4834.5851682
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4438.5372082
7 x-Phoenix Suns4141.5002382
8 x-Sacramento Kings3943.4762582
9 Golden State Warriors3646.4392882
10 Denver Nuggets3547.4272982
11 Los Angeles Clippers2953.3543582
12 Minnesota Timberwolves2656.3173882
13 Dallas Mavericks2656.3173882
14 Vancouver Grizzlies1567.1834982

Game log

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GameDateOpponentResultNuggets pointsOpponentsRecordStreakOT
1November 3@ LA LakersLoss96980-1Lost 1
2November 4San AntonioLoss1081160-2Lost 2
3November 7@ Golden StateLoss93980-3Lost 3
4November 8SeattleLoss1171220-4Lost 4
5November 10@ UtahLoss861090-5Lost 5
6November 12@ LA ClippersLoss1031080-6Lost 6
7November 15@ PhoenixWin1371271-6Won 13OT
8November 17New YorkLoss941031-7Lost 1
9November 18@ HoustonLoss971011-8Lost 2
10November 21AtlantaWin107992-8Won 1
11November 24@ DallasWin1121093-8Won 2OT
12November 25UtahWin94914-8Won 3
13November 28@ SacramentoLoss85914-9Lost 1
14December 2MinnesotaWin1091055-9Won 1
15December 4DetroitWin85826-9Won 2
16December 7@ UtahWin1241197-9Won 3
17December 8PhoenixWin103988-9Won 4
18December 11@ PhiladelphiaWin104919-9Won 5
19December 12@ IndianaLoss921259-10Lost 1
20December 14@ New YorkWin1039410-10Won 1
21December 16@ AtlantaLoss869510-11Lost 1
22December 17@ ClevelandLoss799210-12Lost 2
23December 20Golden StateWin10910411-12Won 1
24December 21@ San AntonioLoss9611411-13Lost 1
25December 23LA ClippersLoss9210711-14Lost 2
26December 26DallasWin11410212-14Won 1
27December 27@ SeattleLoss839912-15Lost 1
28December 29@ PhoenixLoss9210312-16Lost 2
29December 30PhiladelphiaWin10810013-16Won 1
30January 2IndianaLoss8710213-17Lost 1
31January 4@ SacramentoLoss9612613-18Lost 2
32January 6MiamiLoss868813-19Lost 3
33January 7@ LA LakersWin969314-19Won 1
34January 10@ VancouverWin918515-19Won 2
35January 12ClevelandWin908316-19Won 3
36January 13PortlandLoss11711816-20Lost 1
37January 16@ PortlandLoss698716-21Lost 2
38January 17HoustonLoss11212016-22Lost 3
39January 20SacramentoLoss11011516-23Lost 4
40January 24@ SeattleLoss798616-24Lost 5
41January 25@ LA ClippersLoss939416-25Lost 6
42January 27TorontoWin938217-25Won 1
43January 30@ MinnesotaWin888618-25Won 2
44February 1@ MilwaukeeLoss10210818-26Lost 1
45February 4ChicagoWin1059919-26Won 1
46February 6LA LakersLoss789919-27Lost 1
47February 8LA ClippersWin1159520-27Won 1
48February 13@ OrlandoLoss9312120-28Lost 1
49February 15@ MiamiLoss919720-29Lost 2
50February 16@ CharlotteLoss10010720-30Lost 3
51February 18BostonWin1179321-30Won 1
52February 22@ PortlandLoss7810721-31Lost 1
53February 24UtahWin999022-31Won 1
54February 27WashingtonWin969223-31Won 2
55February 29DallasLoss12013723-32Lost 1
56March 2VancouverWin1088224-32Won 1
57March 4San AntonioLoss9010124-33Lost 1
58March 6@ San AntonioLoss9010024-34Lost 2
59March 7PhoenixWin1039225-34Won 1
60March 9Golden StateWin1028826-34Won 2
61March 10New JerseyLoss889926-35Lost 1
62March 12OrlandoWin1109327-35Won 1
63March 15@ ChicagoLoss8710827-36Lost 1
64March 17@ DetroitLoss819127-37Lost 2
65March 18@ TorontoWin12211428-37Won 1
66March 21@ New JerseyLoss899728-38Lost 1
67March 22@ BostonLoss989928-39Lost 2
68March 24@ WashingtonLoss909228-40Lost 3
69March 26CharlotteLoss11211928-41Lost 42OT
70March 28@ VancouverWin928829-41Won 1
71March 30MilwaukeeWin988530-41Won 2
72April 2MinnesotaWin867831-41Won 3
73April 4@ Golden StateLoss909831-42Lost 1
74April 5PortlandLoss919731-43Lost 2
75April 7HoustonWin11110532-43Won 1
76April 9LA LakersWin989133-43Won 2
77April 11@ HoustonLoss10911333-44Lost 1
78April 14@ MinnesotaWin989134-44Won 1
79April 15SacramentoLoss869034-45Lost 1
80April 18@ DallasLoss9813234-46Lost 2
81April 19VancouverLoss789234-47Lost 3
82April 21SeattleWin998835-47Won 1

Player statistics

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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

Regular season

[edit]
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf 57 53 35.6 .434 .392 .930 2.4 6.8 1.1 0.1 19.2
Dale Ellis 81 52 32.4 .479 .412 .760 3.9 1.7 0.7 0.1 14.9
Bryant Stith 82 77 34.3 .416 .277 .844 4.9 2.9 1.4 0.2 13.6
Antonio McDyess 76 75 30.0 .485 .000 .683 7.5 1.0 0.7 1.5 13.4
Don MacLean 56 5 19.8 .426 .286 .732 3.7 1.6 0.4 0.1 11.2
Dikembe Mutombo 74 74 36.7 .499 .000 .695 11.8 1.5 0.5 4.5 11.0
LaPhonso Ellis 45 28 28.2 .438 .182 .601 7.2 1.6 0.8 0.7 10.5
Jalen Rose 80 37 26.7 .480 .296 .690 3.3 6.2 0.7 0.5 10.0
Tom Hammonds 71 4 14.7 .474 .765 3.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 4.8
Reggie Williams 52 5 15.7 .370 .225 .846 2.3 1.4 0.7 0.4 4.6
Reggie Slater 4 0 6.5 .545 .400 1.8 0.5 0.3 0.3 3.5
Doug Overton 55 0 11.0 .376 .308 .727 1.1 1.9 0.2 0.1 3.3
Matt Fish 16 0 7.3 .577 .556 1.1 0.4 0.2 0.4 2.5
Randy Woods 8 0 9.0 .273 .238 1.000 0.8 1.5 0.8 0.1 2.4
Greg Grant 10 0 10.9 .261 .333 0.7 1.4 0.2 0.0 1.4
Rastko Cvetkovic 14 0 3.4 .313 .000 .000 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.7
Elmore Spencer 6 0 3.5 .000 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Player statistics citation:[21]

Awards, records, and honors

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References

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  1. ↑ "Denver Nuggets". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  2. ↑ Wise, Mike (June 29, 1995). "Pro Basketball: Underclassmen Rule Atop N.B.A. Draft Board". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ Heisler, Mark (June 29, 1995). "NBA Is a Young Man's Game: Draft: Smith, McDyess, Stackhouse, Wallace and Garnett Lead the Way". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  4. ↑ "1995 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Pro Basketball: The Bullets Pick Up Pack". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 31, 1995. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  6. ↑ Justice, Richard (October 31, 1995). "MacLean, Overton Traded". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Mourning Returns and Heat Beats Nuggets". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. January 7, 1996. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Heat 88, Nuggets 86". Tampa Bay Times. January 7, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  9. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 8, 1996". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  10. ↑ Hodges, Jim (March 13, 1996). "NBA Sits Abdul-Rauf for Stance on Anthem". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  11. ↑ Diamos, Jason (March 14, 1996). "Pro Basketball: Abdul-Rauf Vows Not to Back Down from N.B.A." The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  12. ↑ Reilly, Rick (March 25, 1996). "Patriot Games: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Caused an Uproar When He Sat Out the National Anthem". Sports Illustrated Vault. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  13. ↑ Hodges, Jim (March 15, 1996). "Abdul-Rauf Will Stand, and Pray". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ Denlinger, Ken (March 16, 1996). "Abdul-Rauf Returns, Rises for Occasion". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Fans Cheer Anthem, Boo Mahmoud". Deseret News. Associated Press. March 16, 1996. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ Diamos, Jason (March 21, 1996). "Pro Basketball: Abdul-Rauf Is Calm in Face of Controversy". The New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Abdul-Rauf to Miss 2 Games with Injury". United Press International. March 22, 1996. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Abdul-Rauf on Injured List, Will Miss at Least 5 Games". Deseret News. March 29, 1996. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  19. ↑ Smith, Sam (April 1, 1996). "Rising Heat Good for Bulls". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  20. ↑ "1995–96 Denver Nuggets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  21. 1 2 3 "1995–96 Denver Nuggets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  22. ↑ Heisler, Mark (February 11, 1996). "NBA Has All-Stars in Its Eyes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  23. ↑ "1996 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  24. ↑ "1996 NBA All-Star Game: East 129, West 118". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Pro Basketball". The Gainesville Sun. February 10, 1996. p. 15. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  26. ↑ "1996 NBA Rising Stars: East 94, West 92". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  27. ↑ "N.B.A. Playoffs: Payton Honored for Defense". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 7, 1996. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  28. ↑ "1995–96 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  29. ↑ "1995–96 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Nuggets Trade Abdul-Rauf to Sacramento". United Press International. June 13, 1996. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  31. 1 2 "Pro Basketball: Nuggets Trade Abdul-Rauf, Acquire Pacers' Jackson". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 14, 1996. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  32. 1 2 "In One of Two Deals, Abdul-Rauf Is Traded". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 14, 1996. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Hawks Get Big with Mutombo". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. July 16, 1996. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  34. ↑ Asher, Mark (July 16, 1996). "Mutombo Heading to Hawks". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Hawks Sign Mutombo, Trade Augmon, Long". Tampa Bay Times. July 16, 1996. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Pacers Trade Jackson, Pierce to Denver". United Press International. June 13, 1996. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Sixers Sign Free Agent Don MacLean". United Press International. July 16, 1996. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
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