With the Nuggets set for their second meeting against the defending champion on Thunder on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ESPN), does Denver have enough to take down Oklahoma City if the two meet again in the NBA playoffs?

Vinny Benedetto, Nuggets beat writer

Answer: No

Denver needs another body to dethrone the champions.

Oklahoma City is still the deepest and most talented roster in the league. Despite being down their top two players, the Thunder have had four different leading scorers in their last four games heading into Friday’s showdown at Paycom Center. They’ve won three of those to maintain their spot atop the Western Conference. The only loss was a closely contested game against the Pistons, which now own the NBA’s best record.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Nuggets’ injury situation is more concerning than Oklahoma City’s, and Denver’s running out of time to reestablish the chemistry that’s been lost since the Nuggets were last at full strength. If Aaron Gordon can’t get right before the start of the playoffs, Denver’s dead on arrival. There’s not much margin for error if any of the lingering injuries — Nikola Jokic’s wrist, Jamal Murray’s hamstring or any of the team’s other soft tissue issues — flare up at the wrong time.

The good news is the Nuggets have an open roster spot to address their needs. A hybrid big capable of matching up with Oklahoma City’s small-ball lineups would be ideal. Another true point guard would also provide some valuable depth, but it’s hard to get impact players from the buyout market up to speed by the time the playoffs start.

At this point, the Nuggets’ best bet to get back to the NBA Finals features someone else eliminating the Thunder.

Tyler King, college sports reporter

Answer: Yes

We haven’t seen it for more than a few weeks this season, but the fully healthy Nuggets are the best team in the NBA.

Jokic was putting up yet another historic offensive season before the first real extended injury absence of his career, Murray is a deserving first-time All-Star and putting up career numbers, while the likes of Gordon, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson round out one of the league’s best starting fives.

Even if Johnson never materializes into the player that Denver thought it was getting last summer, Peyton Watson’s emergence this season gives the team essentially a sixth starter-level player that feels primed for a postseason breakout.

Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The team’s depth is also as good as it’s ever been in the Jokic era, with Jonas Valanciunas, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown providing a reliable trio to supplement the core six players that could all start when healthy. Even Jalen Pickett and Julian Strawther have shown flashes of being playoff contributors this season.

Also, have we forgotten what the Nuggets were left with the end of last year’s series against OKC? Gordon’s hamstring injury had him playing on one leg in Game 7, Michael Porter Jr.’s shoulder severely limited him in the entire series and Russell Westbrook was a volatile unknown in every game, leaving David Adelman with about three and a half reliable players by the end of a series that still went down to the final game against the eventual champions.

Yes, right now it’s still theoretical given that Watson and Gordon remain out with injuries, but they’re expected back sometime in March, and that’s plenty of time for this group to get geared up for a deep playoff run into June thanks to the best and deepest roster the Nuggets have ever had.