The Denver Nuggets will conclude a tough road back-to-back when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. The Nuggets come into the matchup on the heels of a 112-85 loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday, while the Thunder last played on Wednesday, when they defeated the Indiana Pacers.
The Nuggets (50-24) are pushing through a tough schedule to close the regular season, as six of their final eight games are against teams currently in the playoff picture. Although Denver is still searching for consistency, it has won seven of the past ten games. As a result, the Nuggets are still within striking distance of the number one seed in the Western Conference, sitting just one-game behind the Golden State Warriors.
The Thunder (44-31) have struggled in recent weeks, going 7-11 since the All-Star break. Oklahoma City’s issues are mainly tied to the offensive end, as the Thunder own the 28th-ranked defense since the break. As a result of their recent struggles, the Thunder have slipped to the seventh spot in the Western Conference, increasing the chances that the two teams face off in the first round of the playoffs.
The Nuggets won the first three matchups in the season series and have won five straight games against the Thunder. Overall, Denver is 7-8 against Oklahoma City since Michael Malone took over as head coach.
Here are some keys to the game:
Limit Russell Westbrook’s impact: In three games this season, the Nuggets have done a strong job defending Russell Westbrook. Against Denver, Westbrook has averaged just 17 points per game on 36.5 percent shooting from the field. Throw in the five turnovers per game that Westbrook has averaged against the Nuggets this season, and you get the picture for how disruptive Denver’s defense has been against the All-Star point guard. Westbrook is still very much the engine that drives a lot of Oklahoma City’s offense, so continuing to have success against him will go a long way for Denver.
Take care of the ball: The Thunder own the league’s third-ranked defense and a lot of their success on that end of the floor is a result of their ability to cause turnovers. Oklahoma City is tied for first in opponent turnover percentage, which allows their offense to get out and run in transition. The Nuggets have done a strong job of taking care of the ball this season, ranking near the top ten in turnover percentage. It will be key that Denver doesn’t present Oklahoma City with easy opportunities to convert defense to offense.
Limit Oklahoma City’s transition opportunities: For the season, the Thunder have the 17th-ranked offense. However, a good portion of their scoring is done in transition, as they rank second in the league in frequency of transition possessions. When Oklahoma City just operates in the half court, the offense ranks just 21st in the league. Therefore, Denver must focus on getting back in transition and preventing easy transition buckets. As mentioned above, a key way to accomplish this is by taking care of the ball on offense.
The game will air on Altitude TV and the AltitudeNOW app. Fans can listen on Altitude Radio, 92.5 FM.