Mark L. Baer – USA Today Sports Images

The Denver Nuggets had a rough start to their season. After losing to the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas Day, the Nuggets sat at 15-14 and in a fight for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. It’s safe to say that times have changed.

Since Christmas Day, the Nuggets are 18-6, making them 33-20 on the season, and have launched themselves into fifth place in the West. Coach George Karl has assembled a cohesive, physical and energized team anchored by guys like Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala and “The Manimal” Kenneth Faried. That’s why they rank third in the NBA in points per game at 105, first in rebounds per game at 45.8 and second in assists per game at 23.9.

They’ve looked like a completely different team. In fact, Denver has been on such a tear that many people are looking at the Nuggets as dark-horse contenders to possibly come out of the Western Conference. There’s only one problem with that idea: there are at least two road games in a playoff series.

That’s been the gaping weakness of the Nuggets this season and the reason why they started off so mediocre. The first two months of their schedule had them playing 22 of their first 32 games on the road. In those 22 games, they had only an 8-14 record. In the six road games that they’ve played in 2013, they’ve gone 3-3, leaving them at 11-17 on the road this season.

Conversely, Denver is an astounding 22-3 at home this season. Their success at home has kept their road woes at bay.

And those troubles on the road go deeper than just their poor record. On the road this season, they’re averaging only 101.3 points per game, 3.7 fewer points than their season average. They also shoot .8 percent worse from the field and 1.9 percent worse from beyond-the-arc on the road, as well as averaging a full turnover more per game when they’re away from home.

If the Nuggets want to legitimately be considered a contender in the Western Conference, they are going to have to solve their troubles on the road. They have to band together as a team, something they actually do exceptionally well at home, and weather the trials that they face on the road.

If they don’t solve these issues, then they are going to be up against the grain when the playoffs come and they have to play a quality opponent on the road. And that’s probably going to get them bounced out of the postseason.

Cody Williams is a Senior NBA Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twittter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.