Denver qualified for the NBA playoffs in nine consecutive seasons in the 1980s and ten consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2013.

It was an odd loss for the Nuggets, who missed 22 consecutive 3-pointers, breaking the NBA record for most attempts without a make. Denver scored 74 points from inside the paint, and the rest were free throws except for Ty Lawson's 20-foot pull-up jumper with 38 seconds left in the game.

Controversial rookie Spencer Haywood joined the team for the 1969-70 season. Haywood was one of the first players to turn pro before graduating from college, and the NBA initially refused to let him play in the league. Haywood averaged nearly 30 points and 19.5 rebounds per game in his only ABA season, leading Denver to a 51-33 record before jumping ship to the NBA the following year.

On April 9, 1978, the last day of the regular season, David Thompson scored 73 points against the Detroit Pistons in an effort to win the NBA scoring title, which he lost by percentage points to the San Antonio Spurs' George Gervin, who scored 63 points in a game played later that same day.

1988 NBA Coach of the Year Doug Moe used a run-and-gun offense which had his team shoot before the opponent's defense had set up. He ran almost no plays, instead relying on ball movement, screens and constant cuts to the basket. Players were told not to hold the ball for more than two seconds. The movement of the ball was predicated on what the defense allowed. "You can't diagram it, you can't put a pencil and paper to it. If you do, you're doing an injustice to the system", said former Nuggets assistant Allan Bristow. Moe simply said, "The passing game is basically doing whatever the hell you want."

The most penalized on-court fight in the NBA since the Pacers-Pistons brawl two years earlier, this altercation began with a flagrant foul by Knicks guard Mardy Collins on Nuggets guard J. R. Smith in the closing seconds of the game. Several players joined in the confrontation, and the fight briefly spilled into the stands. After order was restored, all ten players on the floor were ejected. When suspensions were announced, seven players were suspended without pay for a combined total of 47 games.

Running Doug Moe's "motion offense", the 1981-82 Nuggets set the league scoring record with an average of 126.5 points per game and at least 100 points in every game.

Vandeweghe was traded before the 1984-85 season to the Trail Blazers for 6-3 rebounding guard Fat Lever, undersized power forward Calvin Natt and center Wayne Cooper.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf's free throw percentage of .956 in 1993-94 is the third highest seasonal percentage in NBA history, behind Calvin Murphy (.958, 1980-81) and José Calderón (.981, 2008-09).

Rocky the Mountain Lion has been a staple at Nuggets home games since making his debut on December 15, 1990.