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 sweeping the Grizzlies, the Thunder is lying in wait until either the Clippers or Nuggets emerge as its second-round opponent.

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 Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers are meeting in one of the most intriguing matchups in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. The first two games lived up to the hype with the Nuggets taking Game 1 in overtime and the Clippers pulling out Game 2 in a thriller to send the series back to Los Angeles tied at 1-1.

The Denver Nuggets enter Sunday afternoon with the hopes of dropping down into the dreaded 3-1 hole against the LA Clippers. The Nuggets are currently trailing in the series 1-2, after dropping Game 3 on Thursday night.