The Nuggets' playoff picture could finally be clearing up after a few days of what seemed like chaos in the standings. The Lakers lost their top two scorers, dropped three in a row, and the Nuggets have leapfrogged them from fourth to third in the Western Conference playoff standings thanks to a nine-game winning streak. And suddenly, the Nuggets are on a collision course with the playoff path the fans want.
The Nuggets are on course to lock up the number three seed if they can win out, which looks increasingly likely. And at the moment, the Minnesota Timberwolves are in the sixth spot, and would be the Nuggets' first-round opponent.
That's what the fans want. The X/Twitter poll showed 68% want the Timberwolves, followed by the San Antonio Spurs, as their preferred path before an eventual possible meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference finals.
It's a gauntlet, but it's the easier path
The other alternative would be facing the Houston Rockets in round one, followed by the Thunder.
The reason the fans prefer the Wolves and Spurs is obviously to avoid the Thunder until the conference finals, but it's still a gauntlet. The Wolves knocked out the Nuggets from the playoffs two years ago, and the Spurs have Victor Wembanyama, the possible Defensive Player of the Year.
However, the Nuggets are 5-2 in head-to-head meetings between Nikola Jokic and Wemby. And Jokic has had his way with Wemby. Joker is averaging a staggering 37.3 points per game, with a plus-51 over those seven games.
And Joker just showed what he can do when he needs to do it against Wembanyama. Jokic hit the "Sombor Shuffle" over the top of Wemby in the Nuggets 136-134 overtime win. Jokic has the basketball I.Q. to get past the Spurs, and they're a young team without experience. They're the preferred second-round opponent instead of the defending champion Thunder.
Can't overlook the nemesis Wolves
The Wolves are lining up for the sixth seed, three games behind the Rockets and four games in front of the Phoenix Suns. The Wolves sent the Nuggets home in the second round two years ago, and they've had the Nuggets' number over the years.
But the Nuggets are 3-1 against the Wolves this year, and the Wolves havegot a banged-up Ant-Man Anthony Edwards, and they're without Jaden McDaniels, another key starter. Plus, Naz Reid, a key contributor off the bench, is banged up, too. They may not be as formidable as they were against the Nuggets in years past.
It all makes for the easiest path. And the one fans want looks to be the one they're likely to get.