OKC Thunder versus Denver Nuggets – Preview highlights adaptability

Game plan needs to be open for adapting:

Donovan will need to have his team ready for Murray in case he plays and also the options if he doesn’t.

While it might seem like facing a team missing several starters should be far easier, the tendency is often to play down to the competition. The Thunder will need to avoid that natural instinct and rely on Chris Paul to ensure they keep the game plan focus and system in mind.

The Nuggets who flirted with the top defensive rank early in the season have fallen off substantially and while they currently reside in the 14th defensive rank since the All-Star break they rank 22nd.

In terms of specific areas Donovan will specifically game plan for, no doubt he’ll have his squad dialed in to attack the glass. The Nuggets are one of the best offensive rebounding teams (tied for 5th) and love to score in the paint (tied for 6th). The other area where the Nuggets excel defensively is in cutting down passing lanes.

Because of their length, they are a decent 3-point defensive squad (rank 9th) but if you push the pace it’s possible to score in transition where they rank in the 41.4 percentile.

Since pace and tempo have been an onus of the bubble for the Thunder expect Donovan to make this a priority.