What could’ve been the best Nuggets regular season in franchise history likely unraveled Friday in San Antonio.

Denver could still claim the No. 1 seed but would need a lot of help Sunday to get there. It would be just the second time in franchise history the Nuggets had the most favorable route to the NBA Finals.

Here are the 10 best regular-seasons in the franchise’s NBA history.

1. 2022-23

Record: 53-29

Best player: Nikola Jokic – 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists per game

Playoff results: Won NBA title over Miami in five games

What Vinny remembers: The much-anticipated returns of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. were spoiled by a season-opening loss in Utah. The Nuggets looked like serious championship contenders in December and January with Aaron Gordon’s Christmas Day dunk serving as a wake-up call to the rest of the league. The tiring, somewhat toxic Most Valuable Player debate and Denver firmly flipping the switch on and off in the final weeks of the regular season. Then, Denver used the one seed to erase all questions with a 16-4 run through the playoffs, and Jokic got a Finals MVP trophy to go with his first championship ring.

2. 2023-24

Record: 57-25 or 56-26

Best player: Nikola Jokic – 26.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9 assists per game

Playoff results: TBD

What Vinny remembers: Despite the short offseason, Jokic saying he didn’t spend much of the offseason with a basketball and Denver having a true target on its back for the first time in franchise history, the Nuggets hardly missed a beat. Jokic produces another MVP-worthy season, though Michael Malone doesn’t get the Coach of the Year respect he deserves. With a win Sunday in Memphis, the Nuggets would match the franchise record for most wins in the regular season and potentially secure the top seed in the Western Conference for a second consecutive season. If that happens, this moves to the top of the list despite Friday’s ugly loss.

3. 2012-13

Record: 57-25

Best player: Ty Lawson – 16.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists per game

Playoff results: Lost a first-round series against the Warriors in six games

What Vinny remembers: Covering Doug McDermott’s junior season at Creighton. Once Duke ended the Bluejays’ season, attention shifted to the NBA where the Nuggets’ balanced fast-paced, high-scoring offense was among the most fun watches in the league. Despite setting the franchise record for wins, Denver still finished behind the Thunder and Lakers in the conference standings. Seeding is more important than win total.

4. 2008-09

Record: 54-28

Best player: Carmelo Anthony – 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game

Playoff results: Lost the conference finals to the Lakers in six games

What Vinny remembers: Kenyon Martin coming with up a crucial block in the fourth quarter late in a regular season game to win a fantasy basketball playoff matchup. This was as good as it got for the Nuggets during Anthony’s time in Denver. Anthony’s 33-point quarter against the Timberwolves remains one of the most impressive individual performances in Nuggets history, while the double booking of the then-Pepsi Center with Game 4 Western Conference Finals and Monday Night Raw remains a valuable lesson as Ball Arena has been busy the last few postseasons.

5. 1987-88

Record: 54-28

Best player: Alex English 25 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists per game

Playoff results: Lost in the second round to the Mavericks in a six-game series.

What Vinny remembers: His parents’ stories of watching the Nuggets’ explosive offense during their brief time as Denver residents. It was another high-powered, fast-paced Nuggets offense with six different players averaging at least 12.7 points. Denver’s 54 wins was good enough for the second seed, trailing only the Showtime Lakers.

6. 2018-19

Record: 54-28

Best player: Nikola Jokic – 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists per game

Playoff results: Lost in the second round to the Trail Blazers in a seven-game series.

What Vinny remembers: Getting his first taste of covering the NBA, including Denver’s dreadful showing in Game 7 against Portland. Despite the playoff disappointment, Jokic averaged 20 points for the first time in 2018-19 and led Denver to its first playoff appearance in the current era. Denver has only failed to get out of the first round once since.

7. 1976-77

Record: 50-32

Best player: David Thompson – 25.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists per game

Playoff results: Lost the conference semifinals to Portland in six games.

What Vinny remembers: Nothing, but our current Broncos beat writer and former Nuggets scribe Chris Tomasson has a wealth of information. In a 2008 piece for the “Rocky Mountain News,” Tomasson recalled signing parties where fans could show up to get autographs of their favorite players – Thompson, Dan Issel and Bobby Jones – and left with a bunch of All-Star ballots. All three made the All-Star Game as starters ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Back then, the two seed automatically advanced to the second round, where Denver lost to Portland.

8. 1984-85

Record: 52-30

Best player: Alex English – 27.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists per game

Playoff results: Lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers in five games.

What Vinny remembers: Still nothing, but the significance of beating the Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals makes a lot more sense. One of Denver’s better regular seasons and its best postseason run prior to last season, ended thanks to the Lakers.

9. 2021-22

Record: 48-34

Best player: Nikola Jokic – 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists

Playoff results: Lost a first-round series to the eventual champion Warriors in five games.

What Vinny remembers: The handful of games after the Aaron Gordon trade where the Nuggets looked like real championship contenders. Then, Jamal Murray’s suffered a terribly timed knee injury that delayed those championship aspirations for a couple of seasons. Jokic posted a career-high in scoring average, won the second MVP award in franchise history, and Denver hung on for the six seed. A banged-up backcourt led to the franchise’s only first-round exit since 2019.

10. 2009-10

Record: 53-29

Best player: Carmelo Anthony – 28.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists per game

Playoff results: Lost a first-round series to Utah in six games.

What Vinny remembers: Trying to watch as much basketball as possible and still graduate college. It was the most-anticipated Nuggets season in (Vinny’s) memory after the Western Conference run the season prior. It was one of Anthony’s best seasons in Denver, and he received help from a balanced group featuring Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith, Nene and Kenyon Martin.