We all know that Nikola Jokic likes to talk horses any chance he gets, but he actually pulled out the perfect reference in a recent press conference when talking about the Thunder. Jokic was referring to OKC entering the season as heavy favorites and stated, “Hopefully we can be the silent - how do you say it? - Silent knight. Silent horse. Dark horse.”
Here’s video of the Nikola Jokić quote that’s going viral on OKC being the favorite
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) October 10, 2025
Denver “dark horse” Nuggets pic.twitter.com/iseuIGKJEd
It was a funny, lighthearted moment, but serious or not, Jokic is exactly right. After getting over the hump and winning it all last season, the Thunder are heavy favorites, and rightfully so. They proved it and brought everyone back while gaining a year of experience.
There’s no reason the Thunder shouldn’t be the favorites, but the Nuggets are closer in their rearview than it may appear. They took them to seven games last season, and that was with Michael Porter Jr. playing with one arm, Aaron Gordon playing with one leg, and nobody but Russell Westbrook contributing off the bench.
Now, the Nuggets come into the season healthy, hungry, and motivated. They swapped MPJ for Cam Johnson to the starting lineup and bolstered the bench by adding veterans Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas. It may not be enough for Las Vegas to put them ahead of the Thunder, but there’s no reason they should be thinking that way.
Nuggets perhaps more than a dark horse contender
For Jokic to bust out the “dark horse” reference was surely a dream scenario, but if anything, he may have actually undersold the Nuggets’ chances. Denver definitely closed the gap this offseason, and they have no fear of the much younger Thunder.
Jokic is still the best player in the world, and now he has reinforcements like never before. We’ve seen defending champions come into the season as heavy favorites, but none have even reached the Conference Finals since the Warriors in 2019. It’s a tall task, and while it may seem easy now, it won’t be.
Teams are going to come for the crown, and the Nuggets will be chief among them. After the Fred VanVleet injury, the Nuggets are clearly first in line to challenge OKC in the West. If the added depth and coaching change make a bigger impact than expected, they could be a nightly terror, vying for the one seed, and this battle could look a lot more even than any prognosticators believe.