The Denver Nuggets are on a heater. They've won 10 in a row for the first time in the Nikola Jokic era, and they've climbed up the Western Conference standings to third place. And if they stay there, the Nuggets will be on a course to face the San Antonio Spurs in round two, but a slip to fourth place would put the Nuggets on a course to see the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder look to be trying their best to keep it that way, and that could benefit the Nuggets more than some may realize. If the Nuggets care to take advantage of it, that is.
The injury report for the matchup is a doozy. The Thunder have listed nine players as out, including four starters: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein. The Thunder are playing for nothing in the standings, so rest makes sense.
But it could benefit the Nuggets down the road in the playoffs greatly if they're able to win out and secure the third seed. They would need to get out of the first round against the probable sixth seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves, first, of course.
If the Nuggets care about their path, the Spurs are the choice
The Nuggets' injury report also contained some additions, but they're of the questionable variety. And it's possible that if the Lakers lost against the Warriors, the Nuggets would have chosen to sit Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon. But the Lakers won, and if the Nuggets care and want to keep the third seed, they need to beat the Thunder.
And that opens the door to a matchup with the Spurs in the season finale that could determine whether or not the Nuggets secure that third seed. And if they do, and they advance, it's undoubtedly the easier matchup to get back to the Western Conference Finals.
The Nuggets are 5-2 in head-to-head meetings between Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, and Jokic has put up 37.3 points against the possible Defensive Player of the Year. Plus, the Spurs lack the playoff experience the Thunder have.
The Nuggets are just 6-12 over the last three seasons against the Thunder, including the playoffs. It's probably the better move to take on the tougher team later on, but perhaps it's not, either.
The longer the Nuggets go into the playoffs, the more they open themselves up to more injury possibilities. They've had a myriad of injuries this season, and are mostly healthy at just the right time. So it will be interesting to see what transpires in the game. But if the Nuggets care, they should win, because the Spurs will be the easier path to go longer into the postseason.