With the Western Conference Playoffs looking like a minefield, David Adelman is getting picky. The gravity of the situation is not lost on the first year head coach who got the job because his predecessor was fired mid-playoffs. He’s doing everything to avoid the same fate with a move that’s going to make several people happy. Does he care? Not as much as he worries about Luka Doncic’s return.

The Denver Nuggets are playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder but this is not going to a closing statement of two MVP candidates. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will not be going head to head against Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets head coach has benched all his starters, Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon, against OKC in a definitive choice: health and strategic positioning over a regular-season statement.

Adelman’s decision stunned the NBA community by surrendering a chance to push for a higher seed. He’s doing this to ensure the team’s long-term survival in the playoffs. The move comes when the Nuggets are on a 10-game winning streak, breathing down the necks of the Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed.

“The matchups with those teams, I’ll be honest, there’s so much unknown,” he explained to Denver media about his deliberate move to avoid a first-round nightmare. “I think people need to calm down with ‘Let’s play the Lakers.’ If Luka comes back and feels good, do you want to play Luka Doncic? Like, I think you’re messing with the game when you think that.”

Adelman sees the parity in the West as a chance to strategically secure playoff positioning. Given the Nuggets’ recent history with the Minnesota Timberwolves he has to hedge his bets.

“Us and Minnesota, it’s been a crazy back-and-forth over the years,” Adelman noted, acknowledging the razor-thin margins between the top contenders. “And then obviously Houston, I mean, they’re playing so well right now. I think they’ve won seven or eight in a row. So there’s no good opponent in my opinion. I think you just have to play it out with decisions that are best for your team, and we feel like tonight, this is the best decision.”

The situation has left fans divided. Mile High City is divided between wanting Joker & Co. to go to the finals but also disappointed at not seeing them play in the final regular season game. Even the Lakers are aware they’re sitting ducks in the middle of the playoff bracket after JJ Redick’s recent comments.

Luka Doncic and the Lakers brace themselves for tight Western Conference race

The Lakers are watching the Nuggets and some teams jockeying for position and had a blunt comment on it. “Everybody wants to play us. There’s probably teams that are in position where they can start looking forward to potential second-round matchups as well. We’ve seen some of those teams rest their entire lineup basically. We can’t be concerned with all of that.”

But it’s not just the Lakers are Luka Doncic possibly missing the first round to recover from the Grade 2 hamstring strain. The decision to sit the starters is heavily influenced by Denver’s tumultuous history with the teams Adelman mentioned.

While the Nuggets famously swept the Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, the script has flipped in 2026. The Lakers beat the Nuggets for the first time since 2021, off a soul-crushing 17-foot game-winner from Luka Doncic to end the overtime game 125–127 in LA’s favor in March.

“They swept us last year, but then we beat them three out of four this year,” Adelman said of the fluctuating rivalry. “We always know it’s competitive with them. They’ve given us issues. We’ve given them issues.”

By giving up tonight’s game against OKC, Denver is trying to avoid a healthy Lakers squad. Whichever team finishes at the no.3 spot will face the Timberwolves in the first round.

Beyond the strategy, the physical toll of the season has been immense. Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson have both battled recurring hamstring strains, while Nikola Jokic has been managing a right wrist issue. OKC has also benched Shai for this game. As Adelman warned, when the playoffs arrive, the only thing that matters is who is available to play. Right now, Denver is making sure their best are ready for a deeper playoff run.

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