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Denver Nuggets: 3 ideal opponents for the playoffs

By Grayson Moore

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 26: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets reacts to a play during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 26, 2019 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 26: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets reacts to a play during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 26, 2019 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- MARCH 29: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots the ball against the Denver Nuggets on March 29, 2019, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- MARCH 29: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots the ball against the Denver Nuggets on March 29, 2019, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Ideal Opponent #1: OKC Thunder

With the Thunder looking like they are lazily jogging to a last-place finish among the Western Conference playoff spots, and even with 2 arguably top-12 players in the NBA, they are the team that all the top seeds will be looking to play.

They are 3-7 in their last 10 games, and they have just 7 wins in the 20 games since the All-Star break. After starting the season with 37 wins out of their first 57 games, they have cooled down considerably.

Paul George, after positioning himself as one of the primary MVP candidates before the All-Star break, has also been noticeably worse. While his surface stats haven’t taken too much of a hit, his TS% has dropped by 5.4% and his BPM, which was an impressive +11.2 before the All-Star break, has plummeted into the negatives(-0.7).

The Nuggets seemed to be the Thunder’s kryptonite this season, with Denver taking the season sweep with ease. Against Denver, the Thunder shot just 27.6% from 3-point range and 42.6% overall. They averaged just 103.3 points per game and allowed 112.5 points per game to Denver’s offense.

Combine a season sweep with a team that has fallen apart since the All-Star break, and you have an ideal opponent for the playoffs.

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