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Three Things to Look for When the Thunder Play the Nuggets

The Thunder host the Nuggets Monday at 3 pm, we'll give you three things to watch during the game.
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Thunder Bigs vs. Nikola Jokic

Despite being 1-1 against the Nuggets this season, Oklahoma City has had no answer for Nikola Jokic. Through two games, the Joker is averaging 30 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists. 

Even with the game evolving, it's still hard for me to get my head around a center averaging seven assists per game, but I digress. To make matters worse, Jokic is a 33 percent three-point shooter, and he hits 81 percent of his free throws. 

Man, I hate stats, or maybe it's just the fact this guy is so good that no matter how hard Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel play, this is just a mismatch. Jokic always seems to do an excellent job of getting Adams out on the parameter and exposing his lack of three-point defense. 

With other big men, you could employ the "Hack a Shaq" technique, but with Jokic being almost automatic from the charity stripe, you better off just letting him score and trying to get the points back on the next possession. There isn't a way to shut Jokic down, but if Adams can outrebound him as he did in the Thunders 113-101 win in February, Oklahoma City can cut down on Denver's looks at the basket while keeping possessions alive themselves. 

Tightening Up Mistakes

Billy Donovan is not an unreasonable coach; he knows the Thunder is consistently working on getting better. He also knows there isn't a lot of time to clean up mistakes. 

The most concerning aspect of Saturday's win over Utah was the "stagnate" offense in the second half. Oklahoma City was outscored 52-44 in the third and fourth quarters, partly because the Thunder seemed to fall victim to thinking the outcome was all but decided. 

Donovan says, "We're gonna be in a lot of games where it's gonna be 48 minutes."..."Not to say you're gonna play perfect for 48 minutes, but we just don't want to have lapses for minutes at a time." 

With each of these games having a significant impact on the standings, the best clutch team in the NBA should understand there's no letting down till the seeds are settled. 

Getting to the Foul Line

The Thunder shot 16 free throws by the beginning of the third quarter on Saturday. They ended up shooting 24 and hitting 18. As a team, Oklahoma City is shooting almost 80 percent from the charity stripe

Expect to see refs let more physical play go as the NBA has created a playoff-type atmosphere for every game. If the Thunder can continue to convert at that kind of clip, they will be hard to beat in a seven-game series. Not to mention maybe they can get Jokic in foul trouble and take advantage of him being on the bench.