OKC Thunder – 3 valuable takeaways from loss to Nuggets

Lengthy opponents are the Thunder nemesis

Length is this roster’s nemesis. When it’s combined with a slower pace it’s the double-edged sword that renders this team much less effective.

The obvious teams the Thunder has struggled against are the Nuggets, Clippers, and Lakers. A look through all the teams highlights the fact OKC tends to feast on clubs who prioritize offenses featuring their guards as the primary scorers.

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The teams who use a combination fall in the middle territory, but squads with at least two bigs or a big and a tall talented wing also pose problems. Hence the issues with teams like the

• Lakers – lost all three games
• Clippers – lost two of three games
• Nuggets – lost two of three games
• Pacers – lost both games
• Bucks – lost both games
• Heat – lost only meeting
• 76ers – split the two meetings
• Mavericks – split the two games
• Raptors – split the two games

In the case of the 76ers, the fact the Philly struggled so much on the road helped the Thunder to win although they required overtime.

The Raptors were the other team that offers further relevance to this theory. In the game, OKC won both Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol were out with injury. In the game OKC lost to Toronto the Raptors started their super big lineup with OG Anunoby at SG, Siakam at SF, Serge Ibaka at PF, and Gasol at center.

The result was the Raptors scored 73 points in the first half including 38 in the first quarter. Bottom line, when it comes to the Thunder first-round playoff opponent the best scenario is the Rockets or Jazz. Although Utah has Gobert there isn’t another big to pair with Rudy they have to worry about.

Fortunately for the Thunder, their odds of playing one of those two squads are high. Since catching the Nuggets was always going to be a long shot, losing to them might have helped their cause. It pushed Denver two games ahead of both the Rockets and Jazz. Entering Wednesday, a win by the Thunder would tie create a three-way tie but by virtue of the tiebreakers push them ahead of both clubs into fourth.