Oklahoma City made history last season as the youngest team to earn the No. 1 seed. Now, the Thunder are showing they want to be the second-youngest team to do it again.
Oklahoma City has won its first seven games of the season, all by double digits, and they’ll try to make it eight in a row when they face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
This will be the second time in less than two weeks that these two teams meet in Denver, and the first game went to the Thunder easily, 102-87. While Oklahoma City has been impressive, they’re not taking anything for granted.
“I don’t think any team has ever hung a banner for a six-game win streak,” said center Chet Holmgren. “We don’t take wins for granted in this league and know how hard work it takes to get something like that. But we have bigger goals that we’re working toward.”
The Thunder have the best record so far, thanks to their depth. Ten players are averaging 13 or more minutes per game, and no one is playing more than 32 minutes a night, which is what leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging.
This depth is a big advantage for long-term success, especially after the Thunder were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs last spring.
“We’re not even close to where we need to be to accomplish what we want to accomplish,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 25.7 points per game. “It’s cool. But not satisfied at all.”
The Nuggets, on the other hand, don’t have the same depth as Oklahoma City, and there are concerns that they could wear out over the course of the season.
This was one reason they lost Game 7 at home to Minnesota in the second round of the playoffs, and their bench has been an ongoing issue.
After starting the season 0-2, Denver has won four of their last five games, but they will be without two key starters. Jamal Murray has missed the last two games due to concussion protocol, and Aaron Gordon left Monday’s comeback win over Toronto with a right calf strain.
It was reported Tuesday that Gordon will miss “multiple weeks” due to the injury. Gordon had been dealing with right calf inflammation before the game and left after playing only four minutes.
“Honestly, I was a little surprised he played last game,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “The schedule has not been overly kind to us early. I think he’s dealing with just bumps and bruises.”
Without Gordon and Murray, the Nuggets will have even more pressure on their bench. Veteran Russell Westbrook has stepped in as the starting point guard in place of Murray, and Peyton Watson will likely start at power forward with Gordon out.
Nikola Jokic has been able to cover up many of the team’s issues early on. The reigning MVP is averaging a triple-double through seven games, with 29.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 10.3 assists. He ranks fifth in the league in scoring, third in rebounds, and second in assists.
Jokic’s all-around play has helped the younger players on the team, and he enjoys being part of their development.
“I really actually do enjoy playing with them just to see how they’re going to react and what they’re going to do, experience-wise,” Jokic said.
