{"id":10103,"date":"2025-05-05T08:08:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T08:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/10103\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T08:08:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T08:08:13","slug":"matchups-predictions-and-tv-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/10103\/","title":{"rendered":"Matchups, predictions and TV times"},"content":{"rendered":"

After prevailing in a dramatic first-round series<\/a>, the Nuggets have been rewarded with a matchup against the NBA\u2019s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>. Here\u2019s a breakdown of the matchup:<\/p>\n

Who has the edge?
\nGuards<\/p>\n

Prepare the poutine and maple syrup. Queue up Drake, Rush, Joni Mitchell and The Band. This isn\u2019t your ordinary Kendrick-soundtracked Nuggets playoff series anymore. Los Angeles is eliminated, leaving us with a Canadian jamboree in the second round. Kitchener\u2019s Jamal Murray is up against two of his national team backcourt companions, nine months removed from his disappointing performance at the Paris Olympics. Toronto\u2019s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an invincible scorer, steamrolling toward his first MVP trophy. As concrete as Murray\u2019s playoff rep is, he simply can\u2019t be expected to trade blows with SGA \u2014 especially if he\u2019s guarded by Montreal\u2019s Lu Dort, an All-Defense candidate with a fantastic nickname. As Murray enters The Dorture Chamber, he might have to accept that his role is to take a load off, Fanny, and put the load right on Christian Braun. Edge: Thunder.<\/p>\n

Wings<\/p>\n

Denver\u2019s wings may not have fully functioning ligaments and joints, but they have grit. Michael Porter Jr. couldn\u2019t remove his jersey on his own after first-round games, but he could muster a quiet 44% series outside the arc. Aaron Gordon\u2019s calf continues to bother him, sources told The Post, but it didn\u2019t prevent him from soaring above the rim for a historic dunk<\/a>. Both players were legitimately heroic in their own ways to get Denver to the second round. But Jalen Williams is a newly minted All-Star with fresh legs and the defensive chops to match up on Porter, Gordon or other Nuggets. On the other end, Denver can\u2019t afford to give up switches. Gordon needs to stay attached to Williams and prevent him from emerging as the third-best scorer in the series. The Thunder will lean heavily on him as a creator during Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s rest minutes. Edge: Thunder.<\/p>\n

Bigs<\/p>\n

Thunder GM Sam Presti hopped on the double-big bandwagon. It\u2019s easy to see why. Not only did the Thunder have major size and rebounding problems last season, lineups with two big men were regaining popularity around the league. So, after watching Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns combine to frustrate Nikola Jokic, OKC paid ex-Nugget Isaiah Hartenstein to help batten down the hatches. The trend keeps spreading, from Minnesota and Cleveland to Memphis and Houston. In Oklahoma City\u2019s case, Chet Holmgren lacks the heft to fend off Jokic alone \u2014 he always made more sense as a rim-protecting roamer. And sure enough, when the Nuggets and Thunder played in March, Jokic breathed a sigh of relief when Holmgren subbed out, then started demolishing Hartenstein one-on-one. Both are fabulous defenders. But it takes two of them. Edge: Nuggets.<\/p>\n

Bench<\/p>\n

About as lopsided as it gets, even if Russell Westbrook continues on his recent warpath<\/a>. When Oklahoma City isn\u2019t playing double-bigs, it can roll out a million different guard-heavy lineups to badger Denver on the perimeter or make Jokic feel claustrophobic in the paint. The Nuggets would kill to have just one of Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins or Isaiah Joe on their roster. And that\u2019s before even mentioning Alex Caruso. His role is probably the best way to contextualize how good this team is: There isn\u2019t enough room in the starting lineup for a championship-proven vet who made an All-Defensive Team in Chicago last season. When he, Wallace, Williams and Hartenstein shared the floor in the first round \u2014 28 minutes, all without SGA \u2014 Oklahoma City\u2019s defensive rating was 88.1. Edge: Thunder.<\/p>\n

Coaching<\/p>\n

This series doesn\u2019t feel like enough of a level playing field to fairly evaluate Nuggets interim coach David Adelman; Mark Daigneault simply has more levers to pull. Oklahoma City\u2019s ninth man averaged more minutes per game than Denver\u2019s seventh man in the first round. Adelman has to rely on Peyton Watson \u2014 and maybe others \u2014 to have any chance of surviving more than five games. That\u2019s easier said than done. But you have to hand it to Adelman: He already coached a heck of a series against a highly respected adversary, finding a way to win with a shorter rotation. Edge: Thunder.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Bennett Durando, The Denver Post<\/p>\n

Five things to watch<\/p>\n

Battle for the MVP:\u00a0Let\u2019s start with the drop-dead obvious storyline here. Nikola Jokic, in typical Nikola Jokic fashion, has shrugged off any notion that the Most Valuable Player Race is on his mind as he prepares to face OKC\u2019s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. \u201cI think this is the last thing on both of our minds,\u201d he said. And yet, it\u2019s on everyone else\u2019s, after one of the tightest MVP races in recent NBA memory. The playoffs have no actual effect on the outcome, but it\u2019ll look awfully silly if one of them dominates a playoff series and voting tilts the other way.<\/p>\n

Can Russell Westbrook\u2019s hot streak continue? Denver\u2019s embattled backup point guard just delivered the best 3-point shooting playoff series of his career, repeatedly punishing the Clippers\u2019 game plan of leaving him alone. By sheer logic, then, he should regress to the mean against Oklahoma City, the franchise he once carried for years. But Westbrook was actually a net positive from the corners in the regular season at 43%. If he plays within himself and doesn\u2019t force too many above-the-break triples, he\u2019s got a chance to swing another series.<\/p>\n

To blitz or not to blitz: After the NBA\u2019s leading scorer dropped 40 on Denver in a blowout loss in March, ex-coach Michael Malone adjusted in a rematch the next day, sending two-man traps at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and blitzing him more in pick-and-rolls. The result: a 140-127 Denver win, with Gilgeous-Alexander held to just 14 shots. Still, his supporting cast hurt the Nuggets, highlighted by Lu Dort\u2019s career-high eight 3s. But even as Dort is 41% from distance this year and Isaiah Hartenstein has feathery touch on the short roll, forcing others to beat them might be the Nuggets\u2019 best strategy.<\/p>\n

What can Michael Porter Jr. give the Nuggets? Since spraining his AC joint, Porter\u2019s left shoulder has been shrouded in a massive white wrap. That amounted to long stretches in which Porter floated like a wraith around hardwood, averaging just 10.9 points across seven games. But in Denver\u2019s last two wins of the series, his plus-minus told the story of a true difference-maker: plus-65 combined. The Thunder will throw an army at Jokic. The Nuggets need spacing, and Porter is their best option.<\/p>\n

Dort checking Jamal Murray: Denver\u2019s lead guard averaged the most points per game (21.4) of his career in 2024-25. His reward? Two truly hellish postseason opponents. First came Kris Dunn, who Murray relished in besting but who also fought through the Nuggets\u2019 two-man game capably for a decent stretch of the series. Now comes Lu Dort, Oklahoma City\u2019s dogged wing widely regarded as perhaps the best individual perimeter defender in the league. Murray has risen to meet the moment for years, but Dort might well be the toughest one-on-one matchup he\u2019s faced in any playoff series. Murray dropped 34 on him in one Nuggets win over the Thunder this year, and was held in check for two more. It\u2019ll be a fascinating \u2014 and physical \u2014 subplot.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Luca Evans, The Denver Post<\/p>\n

Staff predictions<\/p>\n

Bennett Durando, Nuggets beat writer:\u00a0After all the drama that punctuated Denver\u2019s regular season<\/a>, winning that first-round series was frankly a major accomplishment. But now the Nuggets are fighting their own exhaustion, a separate uphill battle that rivals the Thunder. Jokic has at least one masterpiece in store. But OKC is on a date with destiny. Thunder in five.<\/p>\n

Troy Renck, sports columnist: The Thunder can guard anyone. But they can\u2019t guard everyone. Not equally. Nikola Jokic remains a problem. As Denver split its last two games vs. OKC on the road, Jokic averaged 29.5 points, 15.5 boards and 8.5 assists. And let\u2019s be honest, he is due to simmer after an uneven series against the Clippers. If Jokic posts video game numbers, the Nuggets stand a chance. But any chance of an upset relies on Jamal Murray going off and Russell Westbrook continuing his dead-eye shooting from 3. That\u2019s asking a lot. Thunder in six.<\/p>\n

Sean Keeler, sports columnist: The Thunder have lost just twice at home since Feb. 25, and the Nuggets are responsible for half of that number. The first stop on The Russell Westbrook Revenge Tour was a blast, and Jamal Murray\u2019s getting that old gleam in his eye again. But if the Timberwolves are built to get inside the Nuggets\u2019 heads, OKC\u2019s roster was built to get into inside their collective souls. And, eventually, crush them. Thunder in seven.<\/p>\n

Luca Evans, sports reporter: The thing about depth in a playoff series is that, well, it\u2019s important. And the Nuggets might\u2019ve taken a personal exception to the notion that the Clippers had a deeper rotation \u2014 Russell Westbrook certainly did \u2014 but the Thunder have miles less tread on their tires, more bodies and more defensive options. There\u2019s no solving Nikola Jokic in a seven-game series, yes. There also might be no solving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Thunder in five.<\/p>\n

Matt Schubert, sports editor: While the Nuggets slugged it out with the Clippers over Games 5, 6 and 7, the Thunder spent the last week relaxing at the spa. Not a great place to start, especially when Denver has a decided depth disadvantage. There are two reasons why the Nuggets could pull an upset: 1. They have Nikola Jokic; 2. They have years of playoff scars that the Thunder do not. Is that enough to keep OKC from advancing? Probably not. But don\u2019t expect this to be a walk in the park. Thunder in six.<\/p>\n

Series schedule<\/p>\n

Game
\nLocation
\nDate
\nTime
\nTV<\/p>\n

Game 1
\nDenver at Oklahoma City
\nMonday, May 5
\n7:30 p.m.
\nTNT, truTV<\/p>\n

Game 2
\nDenver at Oklahoma City
\nWednesday, May 7
\n7:30 p.m.
\nTNT, truTV<\/p>\n

Game 3
\nOklahoma City at Denver
\nFriday, May 9
\n8 p.m.
\nTNT, truTV<\/p>\n

Game 4
\nOklahoma City at Denver
\nSunday, May 11
\n1:30 p.m.
\nABC<\/p>\n

*Game 5
\nDenver at Oklahoma City
\nTBA
\nTBA
\nTBA<\/p>\n

*Game 6
\nOklahoma City at Denver
\nTBA
\nTBA
\nTBA<\/p>\n

*Game 7
\nDenver at Oklahoma City
\nTBA
\nTBA
\nTBA<\/p>\n

(Click here to view schedule in mobile<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

* If necessary<\/p>\n

Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally Published: May 4, 2025 at 5:04 PM MDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After prevailing in a dramatic first-round series, the Nuggets have been rewarded with a matchup against the NBA\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3781],"tags":[877,7,366,561,250,301,187,3943,762,563,165,4231,764,252,6,253,302,1146,254,209,66],"class_list":{"0":"post-10103","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-nuggets","8":"tag-aaron-gordon","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-chet-holmgren","11":"tag-christian-braun","12":"tag-david-adelman","13":"tag-denver","14":"tag-denver-nuggets","15":"tag-denvernuggets","16":"tag-jamal-murray","17":"tag-karl-anthony-towns","18":"tag-latest-headlines","19":"tag-michael-malone","20":"tag-michael-porter","21":"tag-more-nuggets-news","22":"tag-nba","23":"tag-nikola-jokic","24":"tag-nuggets","25":"tag-peyton-watson","26":"tag-russell-westbrook","27":"tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","28":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114454207278975012","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}