MINNEAPOLIS — Following back-to-back losses in Philadelphia and Toronto two weeks ago, Nuggets coach Michael Malone assembled his team for a film session on its off day across the border.

The Nuggets' coach first showed the players the Western Conference playoffs standings, with Denver on the outside. He then expressed his belief that they could still push into the postseason. Finally, he asked his players if they felt the same way.

"That's just what you need to hear," swingman Will Barton recalled. "Going through that time, we could have easily given up. We could have checked out. We've seen teams do that before in the NBA.

"Once I saw everybody was still with it, I was like, 'Man, let's go. Let's just go out there and give it our all and see what happens.'"

That was an example of Malone masterfully toeing the line between being blunt and encouraging. His players have since followed suit, blending a mix of understanding the high stakes while continuing to play with freedom. The Nuggets have ripped off six consecutive victories since that meeting, now highlighted as the turning point of the season, putting Denver on the verge of its first playoff berth since 2013. The Nuggets need to beat Minnesota in tonight's regular-season finale.

"I knew that we weren't out of it," Malone said of that meeting. "But the only way we were going to have a chance to stay in it was more mental than physical. I use the word 'belief' because I think that is a huge part of this. If our guys did not believe, we would not have beaten OKC and we would have been out of the playoffs probably five games ago."

That belief has permeated through victories of varying styles, all against opponents with winning records. Reserve big man Mason Plumlee swatted a game-saving overtime block against the Thunder. Second-year point guard Jamal Murray stole the inbounds pass, pulled up from beyond the arc and sank three tying free throws against Milwaukee. Barton thrived while starting in place of an injured Gary Harris, dropping 31 points as Denver knocked the Clippers out of playoff contention in one of its best road performances of the season. And the Nuggets ground out wins against Indiana, Minnesota and Portland, most recently climbing back from 11 points down in the second half against the Trail Blazers Monday night thanks to one of its stingiest defensive efforts of the season.

Barton said he could feel an increased level of chemistry and communication forming throughout the season, though injuries to Harris and splashy free-agent signing Paul Millsap forced the team to adjust multiple times on the fly. Plumlee credits Malone for "(pushing) when he needs to push and (pulling) back when he needs to pull back." Now, each game is peppered with coaches and teammates imploring each other to grab a key rebound, get a stop or shoot when open. Malone calls it replacing pressure with purpose.

"We're not folding," Barton said. "Good play (or) bad play, guys are just coming together ... now with the season on the line, you can tell, you can see it in the guys' faces. No one wants to lose."

Added Harris: "Everybody put their egos to the side ... Everybody's been selfless."

Denver has treated the past six games like the playoffs, a needed mentality given the Nuggets would already be eliminated if not for their longest winning streak of the season. But they need one more victory against an opponent vying for the same prize in order to clinch a postseason spot.

The Nuggets can easily trace the origin of this late-season surge back to Toronto. It's where they reaffirmed that they still believed.

And now?

"It's as high as it can be," Malone said. "I don't know if it can get any higher."