Short Turnaround in Denver Could Provide OKC Thunder Advantage in Game 4

Oklahoma City needs any advantage it can get, and the schedule could work in its favor for Game 4.

On Friday night, the Thunder took the floor at nearly 8:30 p.m. in Denver, looking to take their first lead in the second-round matchup. However, the Nuggets managed to grind out their second clutch win of the series in an overtime battle.

In the closing moments, the Thunder’s youth and inexperience were on display and clearly were a disadvantage for them against the Nuggets, who have a championship core with plenty of playoff minutes throughout their careers. While the Thunder will still be young and the Nuggets will still have far more playoff minutes going into Game 4, this time it could play directly into Oklahoma City’s hands.

Although there are no back-to-backs in the playoffs, this two-game stretch in Denver will be the closest thing to it. With the originally scheduled 8 p.m. tipoff pushed back a bit, the Thunder and Nuggets’ overtime matchup went until around 11:30 p.m. 

That becomes relevant going into Game 4 because the second battle in Denver is set for a 1:30 p.m. tipoff on Sunday. That means the gap between Game 3’s final buzzer and Game 4’s tipoff is only around 38 hours.

For the youthful Thunder, that shouldn’t be much of a problem. After all, this will only be the eighth time the starters have played in the past month, dating back to the end of the regular season, when those guys got plenty of rest.

Add in the Thunder’s sweep against Memphis, and rust has arguably been a factor in the Thunder’s struggles this series. On the other side, Denver has seen limited rest coming off a seven-game first round, and the Thunder are hoping that finally catches up to the Nuggets in Game 4.

The last time Denver had a multi-day break between games was between Games 4 and 5 against the Clippers. This means the Nuggets are entering their seventh consecutive game with only a day of rest in between, and this one will be with even less rest than they’ve been accustomed to.

Considering Denver’s top players have also been dealing with varying levels of nagging injuries, this could finally be the point where Oklahoma City takes back control. With younger legs, a deeper rotation and a hunger to avoid a 3-1 hole, the ingredients are there for a big Thunder performance on Sunday afternoon.