The Oklahoma City Thunder, by almost all measures, are still the championship favorites. They possess the one-seed in the Western Conference with a dominant 35-8 record. Despite some recent defeats, they still appear to be on track for a ridiculously strong regular season finish.
Yet the Denver Nuggets, who are still awaiting the return of Nikola Jokic, are hot on their tail. The Nuggets are currently 29-13, and they have held strong even with their franchise player taking an extended injury absence.
The trade deadline looms just weeks away, and this stretch could define the season for these two organization.