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DENVER — The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets placed a premium on heading into the playoffs at optimal health rather than going all out for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference like they had a year ago. So, Jamal Murray missed several games down the stretch with a sore knee and coach Michal Malone resisted any temptation to rush his star point guard back onto the court. Other starters also got some rest and the Nuggets ended up with the No. 2 seed. They had the same record as Oklahoma City but the Thunder won the tiebreaker.
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