What OKC Thunder's Recent Loss to Denver Says About Playoff Potential

At this point in the regular season, it isn't a surprise when the Oklahoma City walks away with a win. Regardless of the fashion it occurs in or how many points Shai Gilgeous-Alexander walks away with, there's a general expectation that when they hit the court, it should be a victory.

The opposite could be said when a defeat comes around. From media overreactions to questions about the team's legitimacy as a playoff contender. That wasn't the case after OKC's most recent 140-127 loss to the Denver Nuggets because both squads have a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs.

That being said, it does raise a question or two as to what the Thunder can improve on when the playoffs come around. Oklahoma City isn't invincible and does have weaknesses, like every other NBA team, and they can be beaten. Understanding how they can improve before the playoffs start will be important to countering their weaknesses.

For starters, the Thunder could not shut down Denver center Nikola Jokic. In all fairness, not many can. But in the first game of OKC's back-to-back battle with the Nuggets, Jokic was much quieter. He was battling with some sort of upper-body injury, but the Thunder defense did an excellent job of keeping the ball out of his hands to limit Jokic as a scorer and a playmaker. In the loss, Jokic finished with an impressive 35 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists.

Oklahoma City showed what can happen if Jokic is limited with the ball in his hands. They forced the ball away from him in the first of the two games, forcing wing Christian Braun and others to do the bulk of the scoring. Braun had a great game himself, but it wasn't enough to lead the Nuggets to a win. That's exactly what can happen if Jokic is out of commission, which is easier said than done.

In the loss, Denver did force the ball to other players. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 25 points on only 14 shot attempts, where he takes around 21 on average. That forced the ball into the hands of Jalen Williams and Lu Dort, who had good games themselves. That being said, come the playoffs, the Thunder need to find ways for Gilgeous-Alexander to score and take his normal amount of shots while keeping names like Williams and Dort involved.

Statistically, Oklahoma City did a lot of things well against Denver, despite the final result. They shot the ball well from the perimeter, the free throw line and kept turnovers limited. Their defense was not on par with its usual performances, however. The Nuggets finished the game with six double-digit scorers, with Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson significantly exceeding their season scoring averages.

Part of what makes the Thunder so good is their consistent defensive intensity. That's going to need to hold up, more than ever, during the NBA playoffs. The regular season is a grind and finding that third gear to play that hard can prove challenging, but the intensity on the defensive side of the ball will be needed in the postseason.

One regular season loss to the team that's second in the Western Conference does not mean the world is ending. It leaves almost zero impact on the standings in the conference with OKC being so far ahead. That being said, every loss is a learning experience and it does show that OKC needs to clean some things up in its remaining regular season slate.

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