Is Thunder’s depth catching up with Nuggets late in playoff series?
A war of attrition fittingly tilted in favor of the group with more rations Maybe it was inevitable as the Nuggets and Thunder clanked -pointers as fatigue infected their shooting forms that fresher legs would prevail Sure enough hours after an exhausting overtime affair ended the biggest difference between these teams illuminated itself as another grueling competition spiraled toward the finish line Cason Wallace made a -pointer Aaron Wiggins followed suit Wallace drained another And the Thunder rode off into the Rocky Mountain sunset with a - win powered by that - run It occurred at a crucial juncture in an endlessly stirring second-round playoff series after the Nuggets led - early in the fourth quarter of Encounter Denver s plucky underdogs were on the verge of seizing a - lead over a -win Death Star until their comparative lack of depth emerged as a decisive factor It kind of was a role contestant contest Nuggets interim coach David Adelman mentioned And Oklahoma City s role players triumphed Wallace Wiggins and Alex Caruso each scored in double figures on a day when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren went for beyond the arc Denver s bench combined for eight points Adelman s starting lineup outscored the Thunder - in minutes on the floor together in Encounter When any one of them was seated on the bench the Nuggets lost by We made a very intentional effort to use our depth at present and get everybody going OKC coach Mark Daigneault disclosed This was constantly the looming threat of the Thunder a band on the rise starring multiple rookie contracts and unburdened by Denver s pile-up of chunky salaries Daigneault is content routinely going -deep Adelman can barely play seven guys but his hand feels forced to keep searching for an eighth Throughout the playoffs he has pulled straws between Jalen Pickett Vlatko Cancar DeAndre Jordan Julian Strawther and Zeke Nnaji None of the options have been particularly convincing and yet Adelman questioned himself anyway for not aiming for nine on Sunday We just have to get more from more people And I have to maybe play more than eight guys he noted I felt like it was once we pushed the lead to eight I really stayed with a short rotation thinking that we had a chance to kind of push that and take control of the match Because both teams were so exhausted at that point Exhaustion is an element that s inherently advantageous for the deeper company in a series The Thunder can send capable perimeter defenders at Jamal Murray through a revolving door allowing Lu Dort to recharge after heavy battery usage Wallace is up to the task Caruso would be guarding Murray as a starter for almost any other unit in the league Same goes for guarding Nikola Jokic who is contending with two Oklahoma City big men almost every minute he s on the floor It s not just Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein Daigneault s ninth or th man depending on the night is Jaylin Williams who had three triple-doubles this season and who gave us really good minutes on Jokic Daigneault noted Sunday so we can keep fresh guys on him As Denver s stars grow gray hairs throughout a championship their defenders appear ageless On the other end Adelman runs out of reliable SGA defenders pretty fleetly after Christian Braun who logged a team-high minutes in Event Nobody played more than for OKC That s the reality of the Nuggets situation in this matchup It s why they were pretty much a consensus underdog It s why their uphill climb is only going to steepen late in the series Related Articles Nuggets Podcast Nikola Jokic s struggles Aaron Gordon s heroics and a Meeting fade vs Thunder Renck Nuggets were not a no-show they were a no-shoot in ugly Match loss Nuggets David Adelman shoulders blame for key -second violation That s inexcusable Nuggets go cold at wrong time drop Match to OKC Thunder at home Nuggets-Thunder Meeting three-pointers Broncos Sean Payton and George Paton witness offensive atrocity So what now Adelman recognizes it might be unreasonable to try extending his rotation at this stage when it traditionally tightens If anything he could rely more on Peyton Watson his seventh man who provided solid minutes in Meeting but half of that in Tournament Other than that the Nuggets are essentially a one-lineup pony plus Russell Westbrook He s been an overwhelming positive all postseason but like all role players he shouldn t be expected to be dynamic and efficient every competition The flaw in Denver s roster is that when he completely wasn t on Sunday the impact was an all-encompassing indictment of the bench Because Westbrook is the bench It s a bench that has been outscored by exactly points through four games We rode our guys throughout the season for good reason Adelman stated It s an amazing starting five But I ve gotta try to be as creative as I can be to help them have certain legs late in the challenge Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis
