Simmons is right – the past two contests between these teams were determined by a combined five points, and it’s a battle down to the wire almost every time. It is also worth noting that the Nuggets have now beaten the Thunder in three of the four games they’ve played against each other.
In fact, check out what Denver has done against the best of the West: 3-1 against Memphis, 2-1 against Clippers, 1-1 against Spurs, 3-1 against Golden State Warriors, 3-0 against Houston Rockets and 3-1 against Los Angeles Lakers. That makes the Nuggets a combined 18-6 against teams that are currently projected to make the playoffs. Simply put, this is not a team anyone wants to face in postseason action.
Denver’s only issue at this point appears to be the mediocre record of 17-19 it has on the road. In contrast, they are tied with the Heat for an NBA-best 30-3 at home. If they can go into a similar kind of roll the Heat are currently on and continue to win games at the rate they are winning, it’s not out of the question for them to catch Oklahoma City – just 3.5 games ahead in the standings – to gain homecourt advantage for much of the playoffs. If that happens, watch out.
Tweet of the Night: David Robinson