The Denver Nuggets lost a winner-take-all 82nd game last season to the Minnesota Timberwolves, missing out on the playoffs by one game and extending their postseason drought to five years.

However, free agent pickup Isaiah Thomas is more than confident that playoff basketball will return to the Mile High City in 2019. Per the Nuggets' official Twitter account, Thomas has vowed that they'll punch a postseason ticket.

The Nuggets managed to win 46 games last season, which is almost always enough for a team to make the postseason. But the Western Conference was stacked, with the eight playoff teams winning at least 47 games.

Denver lost the aforementioned must-win game against Minnesota on the final day of the regular season, with the winning team going to the playoffs. The San Antonio Spurs bettered Denver's record by one game, while three other playoff teams in the West won 48 games.

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Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas is also looking to bounce back after a frustrating 2017-18 season, one in which he played below expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. Thomas appeared in just 32 games and averaged a mere 15.2 points per game, and this was a season after he averaged a career high 28.9 points per game with the Boston Celtics.

If Thomas can regain his old form and help the Nuggets get back into the postseason, then he could earn a fancy contract in free agency next summer. Thomas will back up starting point guard Jamal Murray, so it's imperative he makes the most of the shortened minuted he'll receive.

Denver returns with a core of star center Nikola Jokic, power forward Paul Millsap and shooting guard Gary Harris. The talent is there for the Nuggets to get back to the postseason. They just have to go out there and execute, but that's easier said than done in a very difficult Western Conference.

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