During the NBA’s All-Star break, ESPN put out a full viewers guide for the second half of the season, featuring key matchups, storylines, playoff scenarios, and more. The insiders described the Nuggets as a “championship-holding” team along with the Celtics that is “in this for the long haul and will be in a position to make another run”.
That’s a rosy outlook, but one the team has earned. It didn’t look like they would be in position to make a run as recently as a month or so ago, but things have come together and the team has ridden their current nine-game winning streak into second place in the Western Conference.
It has been a great run, and hopefully one the Nuggets can continue, but it almost certainly won’t be enough to catch the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC still holds a nine-game lead over the Nuggets in the loss column and barring a major collapse, they’ll cruise to the number one seed.
Nuggets/Thunder back-to-back in March may provide WCF preview
Still, these teams have a lot to play for, and in their viewers guide, ESPN highlighted two games between the Nuggets and Thunder in early March. The teams will play on back-to-back nights, March 9th and 10th in Oklahoma City for their last two meetings of the regular season.
The West favorites have already met twice this season in Denver and split, but those games were back on opening night and then again in early November. The Thunder didn’t have Isaiah Hartenstein for either game and Aaron Gordon was absent from the second one for the Nuggets.
Both of these teams have grown a lot and gotten healthy as the season has gone on. If things continue, we may be looking at a preview of the Western Conference Finals. These games should be incredible matchups and serve as a true measuring stick opportunity for both teams with their last chance to see each other before a potential playoff matchup.
SGA/Jokic matchups could determine MVP race
Along with being a possible WCF preview, these games will feature the two leading MVP candidates. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the current favorite, but three-time winner and defending MVP, Nikola Jokic is squarely in his rearview.
It’s a two-horse race and if Jokic has an amazing close to this season, he could take back control and lock up his fourth MVP in five years. Dominating these two marquee matchups and putting on a show for national audiences at the expense of SGA would go a long way in shifting the narrative.
Jokic has ground to make up thanks to voter fatigue and team success, but this miniseries in March will provide him the chance to make one last statement that can resonate in the heads of voters when they fill out their ballots.