Best game of the season: Thunder vs. Nuggets

Summary

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The Athletic NBA Daily

Episode: "Best Game of the Season: Thunder vs. Nuggets"

Date: March 10, 2026
Hosted by: Dave DuFour, Zena Kada, and Andrew Schlecht

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the Oklahoma City Thunder’s thrilling 129-126 victory over the Denver Nuggets, a clash widely touted as one of the NBA games of the year and a potential Western Conference Finals preview. The hosts analyze the late-game heroics of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the unique context of key absences for the Thunder, the implications for the MVP race, and what the game reveals about both contenders’ postseason outlooks.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Epic Finish & Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Brilliance

[02:36 – 05:23]

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) had a career-defining night, capped with two massive step-back threes in the final seconds.
  • He finished with 35 points, 9 rebounds, and a career-high 15 assists, plus two blocks and just four free throw attempts.
• Crucial Sequences:
  • First dagger: SGA hits a step-back three to put OKC up 4 late.
  • Jokic answers with his own three, but J Will fouls Jamal Murray off the ball—“one of the dumbest plays of his life” ([03:18], Andrew Schlecht quoting J Will).
  • Murray makes the technical free throw; the Thunder lead by only one with 8.5 seconds left.
  • Thunder draw up a play; SGA nails another step-back three from the right wing, “gives the deuces to the Nuggets,” sealing the win ([04:24], Andrew Schlecht).

“He basically hit two game-winners in this game. One of the best games probably of his career tonight.”
— Andrew Schlecht ([04:24])

• Atmosphere: The arena was “on fire” post-shot, SGA was animated, talking to the bench, Denver, and the crowd.

“This was the first time I had seen SGA so hyped up, so revved up… it just goes to show how much this particular matchup matters to OKC.”
— Zena Kada ([05:23])

2. Thunder’s Depth Tested — and Proven

[06:21 – 07:31]

• OKC was missing key players: Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Alex Caruso.
• Their ability to defeat a full-strength Nuggets squad, especially lacking their size and two-way contributors, further legitimizes OKC as a contender.
• SGA’s efficient production—particularly only drawing four free throws—was highlighted as evidence of his offensive diversity and balance.

“…beating them without those guys was really big…They played a full-strength Nuggets team and for them to go and beat a full-strength Nuggets team without any of their main bigs, I think was a really big deal.”
— Andrew Schlecht ([06:21])

3. The MVP Conversation & Referee Criticisms

[07:32 – 10:42]

• Discussion on Mike Brown and Steve Kerr’s recent comments suggesting SGA is adept at selling fouls.
  • Steve Kerr: “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
  • Mike Brown: SGA does a great job “convincing refs that he’s getting fouled.” ([09:55], Zena Kada)
• Hosts note SGA drew only four FTs this game, yet delivered an MVP-level performance.
• Andrew and Dave agree these tactics are common among superstars; SGA’s scoring methods go far beyond drawing fouls.
  • Dave: “The one thing that everyone talks about with Shay is the off-arm shove. Well, LeBron James has done that for his entire career…” ([08:48])

“All the greats do it.”
— Andrew Schlecht ([10:12])

• The panel acknowledges the aesthetics of modern officiating (many players trying to draw fouls) can be tough for viewers, but SGA’s game remains dynamic beyond such plays.

4. Jalen Williams (“J Will”) Emergence

[12:21 – 14:44]

• J Will had one of the best games of his career, stepping into a huge role:
  • Matched minutes with Jokic (40 mins), scored 29 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists.
  • Shot 7-11 from three — most threes by a Thunder center ever.
  • Noted for his athleticism and growth; came up big despite a late-game gaffe (off-ball foul on Murray).

“He was so tired…Mark [Daigneault] told him right before the game, ‘You’re going to match Jokic minute for minute.’”
— Andrew Schlecht ([12:21])

• Panel compares J Will to modern NBA starters; Zena suggests, if Brook Lopez can start, J Will can too.

5. Nuggets’ Performance and Adjustments

[17:45 – 21:47]

• Aaron Gordon dominated early (19 points in Q1), exploiting the Thunder’s lack of bigs, but OKC adjusted: more Lu Dort and shooting, reduced Case and Wallace’s minutes (foul trouble).
• Jokic’s Pacing: Quiet first half with only six shots; explodes in the third, nearly carrying Denver down the stretch but falls just short.
  • Zena posits Jokic’s lower early aggression may be to conserve defensive energy.

6. Denver’s Defense — Playoff Concerns

[21:47 – 23:14]

• Nuggets lack resistance on both perimeter and interior, making life easy for OKC’s drivers and shooters.
• Tim Hardaway Jr.: Hit eight threes but was “giving just as much back” on defense ([21:47]).
• Bruce Brown and Cam Johnson are defensive liabilities; Christian Braun is the only reliable wing defender in the current mix.
• Denver’s regular season habits don’t always translate to playoff defense, but serious questions remain if the status quo holds.

“If this is who shows up, this team’s not getting out of round one — the West is too hard.”
— Andrew Schlecht ([23:14])

7. Outlook for the Western Conference

[24:10 – 25:35]

• OKC and Denver remain the favorites due to experience, with San Antonio (anchored by Wembanyama) as the next biggest threat.
  • Minnesota, Houston, and the Lakers are flawed: questionable closing, defense, or matchup issues with OKC.
• If OKC has its nucleus healthy, they’re seen as the team to beat; if Hartenstein or Jalen Williams are out, playoff series could get “really tight.”

“If we’re talking about winning another title, they’ve got to have those two guys [Jalen Williams and Hartenstein].”
— Andrew Schlecht ([27:08])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On SGA’s late-game heroics:
  “He gives the deuces to the Nuggets…I mean he basically hit two game winners in this game.”
  — Andrew Schlecht ([04:24])

• On officiating and veteran foul-drawing:
  “The one thing that everyone talks about with Shay is the off-arm shove. Well, LeBron James has done that for his entire career… I don’t think that’s something the NBA is going to start calling. This is not new.”
  — Dave DuFour ([08:48])

• Thunder missing key players but winning:
  “Beating them without those guys was really big…They played a full-strength Nuggets team and for them to go and beat a full-strength Nuggets team without any of their main bigs, I think was a really big deal.”
  — Andrew Schlecht ([06:21])

• On Denver’s defensive outlook:
  “If this is who shows up, this team’s not getting out of round one — the West is too hard.”
  — Andrew Schlecht ([23:14])

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Important Timestamps

• [02:08] – Episode intro; game preview
• [03:03] – Breakdown of Thunder’s wild win (end-of-game sequence)
• [04:24] – SGA’s “deuces” moment; career-high night
• [05:23] – SGA’s intensity, impact on OKC psyche
• [06:21] – The significance of winning shorthanded
• [07:32] – MVP talk, refereeing criticism, SGA’s efficiency
• [08:48] – LeBron comparison on foul-drawing
• [12:21] – J Will’s standout performance and matchup minute-by-minute with Jokic
• [17:45] – Nuggets’ game plan: Aaron Gordon’s Q1 eruption and Jokic’s pacing
• [21:47] – Nuggets’ defensive struggles; playoff implication doubts
• [24:10] – Western Conference hierarchy and OKC rivals
• [27:08] – Importance of Thunder’s depth and injury status heading into playoffs

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Takeaways

• Thunder: Legitimate contenders, even with major injuries, thanks to SGA’s MVP form and a rising supporting cast. J Will’s growth is a revelation.
• Nuggets: Still dangerous, but perimeter/int paint defense must improve for another deep playoff run. Jokic’s energy management is both a tool and a risk.
• Western Conference: OKC, Denver, and San Antonio are the most dangerous teams. The rest are unsteady and could be first-round exits.
• SGA’s MVP case: Only strengthened by this display — efficiency, clutch shot-making, and elite playmaking under the spotlight.

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For more in-depth Thunder commentaries, listen to Andrew Schlecht’s "Down to Dunk."

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Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for March 10, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena Kada. Coming up, we go deep with Andrew schlecht on the 129126 win by the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Denver Nuggets. Xena win. Was it the game of the year?

[Zena Kada]

It might have been.

[Dave DeFore]

It was the game of March. For sure.

[Zena Kada]

For sure.

[Dave DeFore]

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the show, man. Big game last night. Maybe the Western Conference finals preview. Zena Kada, Andrew Schle, Dave Defor we're fired up. Andrew Shay, Gilgis Alexander might have wrapped up the MVP last night. And you were in the building for it, man. Walk me through just the end of the game. I, I, we're going to start there and then we'll reconstruct the entire thing. Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

The Thunder beat the Nuggets 129 to 126. And that might seem straightforward. It was not. This was not straightforward at all. Shay hit a step back three that we thought was the dagger. It put the Thunder up by four. There's not a lot of time left on the clock. It just felt like the Nuggets were sunk. And then a play happens that J Will told me in the locker room was one of the dumbest plays of his life. After playing maybe one of the best games of his life, Jokic makes a three above the break. And as they are, as this three is going in, J Will is kind of tussling with Jamal Murray after a pin down screen and knocks him over. And they call a foul away from the ball, which means you get a free throw and Jamal Murray. I think everybody who has any knowledge of Jamal Murray's season is like edge of their seat immediately.

[Dave DeFore]

That's right, because this dude, so many,

[Andrew Schlecht]

he's had such bad luck at the free throw line in moments like this. He sinks it and you think, wow, okay, there's eight and a half seconds left. Timeout. Thunder. Thunder get the ball. They run a play to get Shay the ball and Shade takes another step back three. This time to the right side. Right here, right there on the court.

[Zena Kada]

Nice camera.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Makes, makes it, makes the shot and like just gives the deuces to the Nuggets. I mean, just, I mean he basically hit two game winners in this game. One of the best games probably of his career tonight. I mean, he had a career high in assists at 15. He had two blocks. I mean, he had, he had an insane night tonight. And he also. We might want to get into this a little bit later. Tide built Chamberlain's record for the most consecutive 20 point games at 126. And he beat basically the, his biggest rival. Yeah, I mean, we, we saw it all from Shea. Like you say he wrapped up the mvp. Like there are so many things that he did to wrap up the MVP in this one. And really it's, it's those two shots at the end where you're just like, you're just jaws on the ground. This, this whole, this arena's on fire. And you're just like, I can't believe that just happened.

[Zena Kada]

This was the first time I had seen Shea Gildis Alexander so hyped up, so revved up, especially after he hits that first step back three before another step back three. He goes to the bench and he's like, I don't know, you know, talking to whomever the competitor in the air, talking to Denver, talking to the fans, talking to whomever about this is his game, this is their game. And it just goes to show how much this particular matchup matters to OKC and, and touche. Going into this game, we knew, yes, we can say Denver had their number as in okcs, but I don't know if we ever really felt how OKC felt about this matchup. What did you gather after the win of just how important it felt to be able to get the win in the fashion that they got it barely towards the end of the game off of their mvp, making two step back threes. What did it mean for them to win this game?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, I think there's like a lot wrapped up in that. Obviously this is a rival. This is Jokic just coming off of like all the emotion from the previous game as well. Or there was, there was a lot going on in that one and there's another Lou Dort moment in this one as well. But I would say like no Isaiah Hartenstein, no Chad Holmgren, no Jalen Williams in this one, no Alex Caruso in this one. I mean these are pillars for the Thunder that did not play in this game. And I think part of it was like just beating them without those guys was really big and just like continuing to prove right. That like they're the top of the west even without those guys there, I think that really matters. And they played a full strength Nuggets team and for them to go and beat a full strength Nuggets team without any of their, their main bigs, I think was a really big deal. And for Shay, I mean she had 35, nine rebounds, 15 assists, a steal on a block. He was 3 of 7 from 3. He only took four free throws the whole night, by the way, everybody, if you didn't know, only four.

[Zena Kada]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

And 35 points out to me.

[Zena Kada]

You know who pointed that out to me? Andrew? Chris Mullen. Okay, yeah, Chris Mullen had some thoughts and he actually wanted to. Wanted me to ask the two of you what your thoughts were on Mike Brown's comments as well as Steve Kerr. I don't know if you guys saw their comments on Shea Gildis Alexander, but

[Dave DeFore]

well, Steve Kerr kind of said don't hate the player, hate the game, which is what we all sort of do.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Sure.

[Dave DeFore]

In, in every sport, there's an amount of subterfuge with the referees. Right. The NFL has this with pass interference and holding and all kinds of stuff. It is really about the way the NBA is officiated. And part of that is that it doesn't allow the officials themselves to use their own basketball knowledge and common sense in calling these things. And so when you have to call things black and white by the letter, sometimes you're going to get the exaggerated call. Now, to me, I think that the, the, the one thing that everyone talks about with Shay is the off arm shove. Well, LeBron James has done that for his entire career. He now has more field goals made than anyone, more points scored. I don't think that that's something that the NBA is going to start calling. This is not new. Jason Tatum does it. I mean, every big guy does this. Kawhi.

[Andrew Schlecht]

You can't get close to him.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. So, you know, I, I think that it is a problem. I mean, Andrew, I think you probably would agree, but it's, you know, this is how the game is played now.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. And Shea's proving that, like, he doesn't need to do that on every play for. In order for him to score. Like, that's, that's kind of the problem is like, people, people like, at least on Twitter and on videos, like, make it seem like that's all he does. And like tonight's a really good example of him being able to create. I mean, they were throwing doubles at him almost every possession. That's why he got 15 assists. Was that like he was effectively picking apart the double team and he had shooting out there. You know, Jared McCain played a big role in this one. A.J. mitchell played a big role in this one. Now Isaiah Joe hit some big shots too. But as far as, like, I, I don't really have a problem with what Mike Brown or Steve Kerr said.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I think maybe like the tone of Mike Brown was like a little salty. But like, I think that the message is, is kind of is mostly similar.

[Zena Kada]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

But they're also negotiating through the media too, guys.

[Zena Kada]

Right.

[Dave DeFore]

Come on.

[Zena Kada]

You know, for what it's worth to just clear it up, Steve Kerr said that Shaker Alexander is incredibly clever. And Mike Brown said that SGA does a great job of convincing refs quote, that he's getting fouled. So just wanted to.

[Andrew Schlecht]

All the greats. All the greats. All the greats do it.

[Zena Kada]

I think that that was What Chris Mullen's point was in calling out or saying like, this is what it's, this is how it's being perceived. However, even in a game tonight, he have four free throws. And so whether he's incredibly clever or does a great job of convincing refs, he is still able to put up MVP caliber games while only shooting four free throws and getting two amazing shots while being well defended.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, it's a talent. It's a talent. It is like, I mean, if, if it were something that were easy, everybody would do it, right?

[Dave DeFore]

Well, everybody tries. That's the problem that I have with it is that aesthetically I'm tired of watching guys fall on the ground so much. You know, it is, it is, it does get hard to watch. But look, I want to talk about this game a little bit more. Just because the Thunder were down so many guys you mentioned, they're down three starters, four guys in their, in their top eight in the rotation. And I thought that the way that, that Shea was guarded is more like what we're going to see in the playoffs. Especially if J Dub doesn't prove it in the regular season, prove that he can be what he was last year and not what we saw when he was out there this year. I think we're going to see way more of this forcing him to give the ball up. But what I loved about it was the way that he still remained active. He didn't just give the ball up and kind of space out and keep the defense away. He went, he went looking for the ball. I, I mean he was looking for ways to get back in the action. And part of this is Jalen Williams spacing the floor, created all this space for, for Shay to operate without the ball. Like once he gave it up, Jalen Williams, this guy, I mean, is he a starter, level player in the NBA? Because it feels like every time he's plugged in the starting lineup, he does something out there. You know, Whether it's the 30 point game against Detroit the other day, this 29 point game, he spaces the floor, he shoots every single time and gives you this solid defense. It feels like OKC secretly has a, a monster big man rotation that, that we've been sleeping on all year.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I think J Will is a really high level backup is what, is what I think he is. And he, he, he told me he was, he's like, I was so tired. He's like, I didn't have the energy to like really celebrate after the game. He said that he was walking back to the huddle and he went up to Case and Wallace and was like, man, I'm tired. And like Case and looked at him and said no. And he was like, okay, nope, I'm not tired. Just not allowed. He J. Will had an incredible game. Mark told him, he didn't tell him until like right before the game, but right before the game he told him, hey, you're going to match Jokic minute for a minute. And this one. And So Y played 40 minutes. J. Will plays 40 minutes in this one. And he defended well. He rebounded well. Obviously he was 711 from 3. That's actually, that's the most threes made by a Thunder center actually in the history of the team, which is kind of cool. And had three assists in this one. Two blocks. Like this was a really impressive performance from J. Will. He continues to get better. I mean this is a guy that was not supposed to be this player. Go, go watch like five minutes of him playing in Arkansas. He was a just this like ground bound score in the paint. Big. And no one really like be like, okay, that's a fine backup center. But the fact that he has become a three point shooter, he had a super athletic dunk on the break that like I was asking Williams about that and he was like, I. We were all just kind of wide eyed whenever he got that much air. Yeah, he's, he's been impressive. He's increased his athleticism since he's gotten to the league and the fact that they can just plug him in and play in 40 minutes and he could get a stat line that's 29, 12 and three against one of the best teams in the NBA is pretty impressive. Honestly.

[Zena Kada]

If Brook Lopez can start in the NBA today, I don't see a world in which Jay will.

[Dave DeFore]

Wow, he's a stretch.

[Zena Kada]

Let's just be real. Like Brook Lopez in his prime. Sure, different. Different conversation. But today, if Brook Lopez can start on a team, then I think J. Will could too. He stretches the floor, plays defense and you know, minus the mistakes, AKA that one foul he had today. Fighting through a screen. He's a big one. He's an excellent big.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, Yep. All right, guys, stick around. After the break, we're going to talk about the Nuggets being healthy and what the west looks like now after this game.

[Zena Kada]

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[Andrew Schlecht]

So you can, so you can actually breathe out of both nostrils fast.

[Zena Kada]

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[Dave DeFore]

Okay Andrew, we got a chance to see the nuggets at full strength for a full game. Jamal Murray, you know he had the ankle issue Friday night So he didn't play that whole game, but luckily not a big deal. He didn't have to miss any time. Let's talk about the start of this game because they were clearly going after the. The size advantage that the Nuggets had. Aaron Gordon looked amazing. For as bad as maybe his rhythm looked on Friday, he looked like he was the guy who right before he got hurt. Remember how it felt like he couldn't miss a shot for about a month there?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yep.

[Dave DeFore]

That's scary if this is just who he is. If he's just right back to that.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. I mean he had 19 points in the first quarter, only 4 points the rest of the way. So like the Thunder made some adjustments. One of those was that they didn't play Case and Wallace a lot. Case and picked up three fouls like really fast. I think we were at like minute seven of the first quarter and Case and had three fouls. He didn't play the rest of the first half. He played sparingly in the second half and they used a lot more Lugan Stort and they used a lot more shooting to, to spread, kind of spread him out a little bit. And his, his effectiveness started to wane as the game went on. And some of that could just be he's not in game shape yet. You know, it takes time for players to get there. But yeah, they were finding him early and like give. Give him a ton of credit for making shots. He made a lot of tough shots. He's getting to the free throw line like crazy. The Thunder could not stop. Fouling him was also part of the problem early on in this one. But yeah, I mean Aaron Gordon, we all know like what he can bring and you know, it's. It was really the closing moments of the game where a lot of the Nuggets were a little bit more slow footed and you know, really, except for Jokic. Jokic like almost delivered them a game. Like he almost won that game for them with his scoring down the stretch.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, he only had six shots in the first half. Right. It was one of those classic. I don't want even want to say it's a rope, a dope because sometimes this is just how he paces himself and he'll. He'll look almost disengaged offensively outside of making passes. And then he comes out of the gate in the third and he's just this giant load. Zena, like we've talked about this quite a bit with Jokic. You want him to try to do that for four quarters? Maybe it's just not sustainable. But I mean it just feels like it makes it tougher when he's not engaged in the first half of games.

[Zena Kada]

And the problem is you wonder if he's not engaged because he almost knows the work he's going to have to do defensively.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Zena Kada]

And it's just all. It's almost preemptively like let me try to find a balance in which I can provide something on both ends of the ball. But what Denver has had all season long and they particularly have is one a YIC off the court problem and also a Yokic on the court. How do you insulate him from a perspective of giving him most the opportunity to capitalize on his energy on the offensive side of the ball while he's also in the most dangerous position on defensive, which is in the paint and he's not a great rim protector. I was looking at the fact that, you know, on this kind of Jokic conversation, OKC evenly split their attack. They were 47 field goal attempts from 2, 46 field goal attempts from 3. Andrew, how common is that? Like I know that they were. They typically have a few more two pointers and three pointers. They're not a great offensive rebounding team. So they don't have a ton of two pointers from that perspective. Like how much did Denver influence the way that OKC showed up on from an offensive perspective in, in terms of their defense?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Not much outside of the double teams. I really don't, I really don't think the Nuggets provided that much resistance to those under throughout.

[Zena Kada]

Nope. They had 10 more threes than they typically take and it just felt as if because Denver lacked on the perimeter and also inside like OKC had a much more balanced attack than I've, than we've typically seen them.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, I mean I think part of it too is like you could see AJ Mitchell had not played in weeks and AJ Looked great tonight. Like he was. He, he came back and played an awesome game and you know, I the. The Nuggets put themselves in a position where they really needed to Play. Tim Hardaway Jr. He had eight threes tonight. He was amazing for them. But then he's like given just as much back on the other end. Like one of the, one of the big plays was AJ Mitchell driving left on Tim Hardaway Jr. And getting all the way to the rim for a pretty easy layup. It's just like the, the resistance stuff is, is going to be tough for them. Like Christian Brown does a great job. I think he's a. I think he's a really good defender. I think he defends Shea pretty well, but then it's everybody else. I think Bruce Brown is close to unplayable for them come playoff time. He had some rough minutes for them. He's not defending well for them. And so, like, they're going to have to figure some stuff out. Now, Denver always does this where it's regular season and they look a certain way and they play a certain way for, you know, several weeks, and you feel like you know who they are. And then they get to the playoffs and they're able to figure stuff out. And so I kind of give them the benefit of the doubt a little bit with their defense. But if this is who shows up, this team's not getting out of round one like the west is. The west is too hard.

[Dave DeFore]

Listen, they're going to be getting Peyton Watson back at some point. I'm still trying to figure out when Cam Johnson is going to be good with the rest of the starting lineup. Like, that's. Is that gonna happen? Maybe not. I don't know.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I don't know.

[Dave DeFore]

But I do think Peyton Watson makes a big difference, because if they can have Brown, Watson and Aaron Gordon out there, that helps him quite a bit. I mean, it's still. It's about Jokic. When teams get downhill on Jokic, he's not going to do much because he doesn't want to get in foul trouble, and it's just not his game. He wants to pull the ball out of the net and. And just run. And, you know, you see that A.J. mitchell and Shay, you know, attacking the basketball, they were unimpeded pretty much, you know. All right, I want to get your takeaways on the west bigger picture. We just haven't had a chance to chat in a while. So as we stand right now, how are you feeling about OKC versus the rest of the top of the West? Like, who should they be worried about come playoff time?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I mean, I still think, despite what we've seen with Denver, I still think Denver is at the top of the list. I just think, like, playoff experience matters. And so I think that Denver still at the top of the list for the Thunder. Then I think it's probably San Antonio. You know, like, you have playoff experience, and then you have Victor Wembanyama, who is something we've never seen ever. And, you know, they. They played well against okc. I would still favor okc. And then, I don't know. We've seen the Thunder play this Minnesota team in the playoffs, they've been able to play them quite well. The Rockets can't close games. The Lakers don't have the defenders to defend guys like Shea and Dub and AJ and even Jared McCain who had a really nice night tonight for the Thunder. But I really think it's Denver and then San Antonio and then I think everybody else is, is kind of the, the rest of, of the Western Conference in my opinion. And it's, it's going to be like rock, paper, scissors to whoever makes it past like what round for Minnesota, Houston and for the Lakers. And then I would, it would be pretty shocking if like San Antonio or the Nuggets lost in round one. Like that would be pretty shocking. But if like Minnesota or Houston or the Lakers went home around one, I don't know that anybody would be all that surprised.

[Zena Kada]

And we don't feel that well. I'm asking the question, but Jaylah Williams absence, does that impact anyone? Particularly when you're thinking about teams that defend really well on the perimeter, like a Spurs team, for example, how OKC would match up if they don't have a Jellian Williams in the playoffs.

[Andrew Schlecht]

He's coming back. I mean, he's close. So like we're going to see, we're going to see Jdub come back before the end of the season. He'll, he's going to get a, you know, a good stretch of games before, before the playoffs. And you know, the good thing about him, like the biggest thing that was, that was really holding him back earlier on in the season was the wrist. And with him being out, he's been able to like get more shots with that wrist than he has, you know, really since the, the surgery happened. And so I do think the wrist feels good and it's just about like injury management for the calf. And I think that they're not going to rush him back. You know, like, they're, they're winning games right now. Shay's back, they're winning games. I don't think that there's any rush to bring him back, but I do think we are going to see him. And so it's, it's really going to be about like him and Hardenstein. Can they get those guys back and can they play extended periods of time without re injuring their calves? Like those are going to be like really big deals for the Thunder. Like they need those two like tho. If we're talking about winning another title, they've got to have those two guys. Like they just do. And so I think if they're missing either one of them. I think that these series get really tight, really fast even though they have J Will, you know Chet was out tonight, he has the flu. So like Chet will get better. He'll be back. Maybe he's back in time for the Celtics game later this week. But yeah, I just think like those two are too crucial to what they do and I think that they will both be back before before the postseason.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. Andrew, thanks for hanging around the arena for us. Everybody. Go listen to down to dunk and leave him a five star review. Yeah, leave him a five star review. For Zena Kada and Andrew Schlecht, I'm Dave Dufour and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for hanging out with us.

[Andrew Schlecht]

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