Nuggets' overtime win over Spurs gifts OKC the top seed and silences MVP debates, proving surprising allies forge championship paths.
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have arguably been the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest arch enemy over the past couple of seasons. But for a few hours on the Saturday afternoon before Easter, every OKC fan became a temporary hardcore Nuggets fanatic. And the short term support paid off in spades.
The Nuggets' 136-134 overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs helped move OKC's magic number down to only three games. Not only did Denver boost the Thunder's odds at capturing the #1 overall seed, but they also shut down any lingering MVP discussion or debate. Jokic was credited with 13 dimes on the day, but the official box score forgot to add the assists he dished out to Oklahoma City and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
OKC now owns a 2.5 game lead over San Antonio with only five games remaining on the schedule for the Thunder and just four games left to go for the Spurs. Most importantly, Oklahoma City finally has more than just a one game cushion in the loss column. Due to the Spurs owning the tiebreaker between the two squads, a two game lead was really a one game lead. Now OKC has a little breathing room.
The Thunder now need three wins and/or Spurs losses to threepeat as the #1 seed in the Western Conference. Ignoring any possible San Antonio losses, OKC must now finish at least 3-2 over their final five games.
Oklahoma City hosts the tanking Utah Jazz today at The Paycom Center. Danny Ainge's team has lost eight straight games and will happily hand OKC a win on a purple, blue and black platter. The Thunder then travel to Los Angeles on Tuesday to take on a suddenly depleted Lakers squad that will be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. OKC has to play the next night against the Clippers but Kawhi Leonard and friends will also be facing the second night of a back to back. The Thunder finish up their last road trip of the season two nights later against Jokic and the Nuggets. The season finale will be at home against the Phoenix Suns who may not have anything to play for by that point.
OKC going 3-2 or better seems very likely over that span. Not to mention, the Spurs still have to face the Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and the Nuggets one more time. Each game will be in San Antonio, but there's still a shot they could lose again before the season ends.
Oh and that other assist Jokic and the Nuggets dished out on Saturday? The running narrative has been that Gilgeous-Alexander is the runaway favorite for MVP but the only scenario in which he could fail to go back to back would be Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs catching OKC for the #1 seed. Denver made that much less likely.
If the Thunder and the Nuggets find themselves in another tough playoff battle, OKC fans will exert every ounce of energy to jeer Jokic and his teammates. By then it will be long forgotten, but for three hours on one April weekend, every Oklahoma City fan raised their voices and pumped their fists for a game-winning Sombor Shuffle.