Reflecting on the 2025 NBA playoffs, the series that popped off the most had to be the Round 2 duel between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. Seeing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic go at it back and forth for the seven-game series turned out to be the most consequential postseason matchup.

The Thunder survived an upset with a Game 7 blowout win. The lessons learned against the NBA’s best player and veteran-tested Nuggets paid dividends down the road on their way to their first Larry O’Brien trophy.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets learned some lessons, too. The first was about depth. They needed to bring in some reinforcements. A seven-player playoff rotation just isn’t going to cut it against the reigning NBA champion. The second was about adding tough-nosed defense.

Denver learned the hard way why the Thunder were the league’s best defense last year. Lu Dort limited Jamal Murray to a forgettable series. And then everybody knows what Alex Caruso did against Jokic in a Game 7 performance.

Bruce Brown hopes to be Denver’s two-for-one solution. He played a pivotal role in the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA championship squad. After wandering around the league the last couple of years, he reunited with the franchise where he had his best years.

Early on, Brown has played a physical brand of defense. You kinda have to if you’re 6-foot-4 and not really a high-volume outside shooter. That’s how the 29-year-old has carved out a lengthy NBA career. He hopes he can replicate Dort’s defensive intensity.

“Later in the season, they’ll let things go just because they know you’re a physical defender. Like, Lu Dort has a reputation of being a physical defender, so they don’t really call much on him,” Brown said. “So, just trying to do that.”

That’s a little bit of a backhanded compliment. The Thunder have said for years they wanted to be known for their physicality. They built their entire roster out to cater to that side of the ball. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doing the heavy lifting on the other side. It’s led them to an NBA championship and even more.

Nothing dismissive towards Brown, but Dort is more than just a physical defender. He has some of the best off-ball instincts in the league. He has the size to match up well with guards and forwards. He constantly fights over screens. Those are all legitimate NBA skills he’s worked on since he went undrafted.

Brown has been a nice addition to the Nuggets. There’s a reason why most have them penciled as OKC’s biggest threat for their repeat aspirations. It’s still incredibly early in the season, so we have a long way to go, but a playoff rematch is something every NBA fan is hoping for.

Bruce Brown on physical defense:

“They’ll let things go because they know you’re a physical defender.

“Lu Dort has a reputation of being a physical defender, so they don’t really call much on him. (I’m) just trying to do that.”

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— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) November 4, 2025