OKC Thunder: 3 keys to claiming victory versus Nuggets
The OKC Thunder finish their three-game road trip in Denver with another strong opponent on tap. It’s a tough week in the schedule for the Thunder who played the defending champions twice, flew to Denver to play the Nuggets tonight, and will finish the week at home hosting the Milwaukee Bucks.
Consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Lakers amplified how tough this segment of the schedule is. Factor in both games had to be played with the league’s bare minimum of eight players because OKC is dealing with numerous injuries. Given both games went to overtime the Thunder are limping into Denver likely quite fatigued.
Despite the two overtime losses to the champs, there were copious positives that can be taken from the games in LA. Intentions dove in deeper to the specifics in our grades and three takeaways following the loss on Wednesday.
The last time the Thunder played the Nuggets it sparked a five-game winning streak for Denver. Since that time, however, the Nuggets have struggled with injuries and subsequently lost four of their next six games.
Although the Thunder were disappointed they didn’t come away with at least a split in LA, they’ll be focused on bouncing back with a winning effort in Denver.
To that end, let’s dive into the three keys for this match.
OKC Thunder key number 1: Limit MVP candidate Jokic
A tall task is in line for Al Horford and the frontcourt of the OKC in guarding arguably the most gifted center in the NBA. Nikola Jokic is putting up an MVP caliber season. He’s not likely to get the acknowledgment unless he can pull his Nuggets higher up the ladder.
On the season Jokic is averaging a double-double of 26.9 points and 11.3 rebounds while also dishing 8.6 assists per game. He’s shooting a career-high 40 percent from deep on 3.5 attempts per game.
The seven-point scoring increase is more a product of necessity. To wit, Jamal Murray has spent a good portion of the season nursing ongoing injuries, Michael Porter Jr., missed ten games due to COVID-19, and the impact of Jerami Grant’s exit.
Jokic is far more comfortable orchestrating the offense than leading it but he’s proving, especially recently just how unstoppable he is when he elects to be the primary scorer.
Last season through 73 games Jokic scored 30 or more points on 10 occasions. This year he’s already reached that total on eight occasions including a career-high 50 point effort although it resulted in a loss to the Kings.
If the Thunder want to have a shot at winning this match they’ll need to limit Jokic. His scoring ability is one thing but arguably the bigger issue will be trying to limit his passing as the Nuggets are more dangerous when the Joker gets them all involved.