That said, the Thunder should prefer the Clippers to move on to Round 2. Leonard and Harden are a scary duo to face, but OKC is equipped with the right perimeter defenders to slow them down. Zubac has had a career season, but Hartenstein is the perfect counterpart against him on the boards and inside the paint.

After defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round of the playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder will now either play the Denver Nuggets or LA Clippers.

The OKC Thunder will face either the Denver Nuggets or the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

The Nuggets and Lakers both gave up big fourth-quarter leads in respective Game 4s while not resting their star players. But only one team escaped with a series-tying win.

Denver went into Game 4 shorthanded, as Russell Westbrook was sidelined with an injury. Even without him, the Nuggets were up big against the Clippers in Game 4, but the Clippers were able to cut into the lead and even tie the game with eight seconds left on a tip-in from Ivica Zubac.

These two teams go at it again on Tuesday in Game 5, and the bad news for the Nuggets is that they have been dealt a concerning blow ahead of the pivotal home matchup. This is aft