Coming through in the clutch is a skill that any good basketball team needs to have, especially in the NBA. It's a skill that the Denver Nuggets have had to master as of late.

There have been few more tight games on the schedule lately than the Nuggets may have liked, but more often than not they've been able to outlast their opponents, whomever they may be, and come out the other side of the grudge match as the victors. 

"We're just seeing what it takes to win. Extend the position that we're in whether it's good or bad. You can get back in the game or kick the lead, so it's nice when we don't put ourselves in that position early, but it's just good to know that we're capable of great things," Murray said (via Nuggets). 

Being in that position, whether it's as the team that jumps ahead first and has to fend off a comeback, or as the team that's putting together a comeback themselves, is a test of so many different qualities in a team that becomes incredibly telling of who they are as a whole. 

It's obviously a test of skill and efficiency, but more than that it's a test of those intangible qualities that separates the goods from the greats. Coming through in the clutch and performing when all eyes are on you is the kind of skill that's made icons of so many players in NBA history and etched games in the memory of fans forever.

The Nuggets' most recent test of their clutch gene came against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday in a game that went to overtime, but ended 137-132 in the Nuggets' favor. 

Denver was punched in the mouth early in the game, primarily because of the Trail Blazers' shocking explosion of three point shooting. Portland took a 72-58 lead at the half and after both teams matched each other with 29 points in the third quarter, the Nuggets were left with just the fourth to overcome a 14-point deficit. 

That's exactly what they did. 

The Nuggets came back and outscored the Trail Blazers 38-24 to tie the game and force it into overtime, where they full took over to take the extra period 12-7 and close out the game.

Nikola Jokic, as per usual, stepped up in a big way. Jokic finished with a game-leading 35 points along with 14 rebounds and 13 assists for yet another triple-double. 

Denver's other center, Jonas Valanciunas, came up big as well, scoring nine points in the fourth. 
The way that Denver has been able to come together in the clutch, from the bench to the stars, is why the Nuggets have the fifth-best record in the clutch of any team in the NBA and it's why that, despite performances like the one that Portland had on Monday, the Nuggets tend to come out on top.