The Denver Nuggets' 2024-25 season ended at the hands of the Thunder, the eventual NBA champion. It came down to Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs, with Denver running out of gas. The first time they'll play next season is a game that NBA fans everywhere are eagerly anticipating, but it won't happen anytime soon after games begin in October.
Denver and Oklahoma City won't play each other until February 1, 2026, over three months after the regular season begins. It will be the first of four regular-season matchups, and all of them will be on national television — that part isn't shocking.
It's criminal that we'll have to wait until February for the first Nuggets-Thunder matchup, nine months after their last game. Waiting almost a full year isn't fair.
By that point in the season, it will be clear what kind of team Denver is with its retooled roster, and how Oklahoma City is faring with a target on its back after winning the 2025 championship.
Nuggets won't play the Thunder for the first time until February
Denver's lack of depth ultimately proved to be its downfall in the postseason. The Nuggets responded by trading Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson, reuniting with Bruce Brown, signing Tim Hardaway Jr., and trading Dario Saric for Jonas Valanciunas. The team didn't have a pick in the draft, but they do have DaRon Holmes II returning from injury after missing his first NBA season.
The Nuggets were contenders the past couple of seasons, but they didn't have the depth that led them to their first-ever title in 2023. Nikola Jokic is unlike any other player who has ever picked up a basketball, but he can't do it all himself (but he almost can). He noted that teams remaining in the playoffs after Denver was eliminated had long benches — the Nuggets have one again.
Seeing how Denver stacks up against Oklahoma City will be the ultimate test. It could turn out to be both another matchup of the top two MVP candidates and a preview of the conference finals. If the latter ends up being the case, the Nuggets and Thunder will play one another several times within four months (potentially 11 times if a postseason series goes to a Game 7).
At least the wait should be worth it.