The Denver Gazette sports staff picks the NBA playoffs series between the No. 4-seeded Nuggets and top-seed Oklahoma City Thunder:

Paul Klee, sports editor

Series pick: Nuggets in 7

As readers of this space have known for a long time, for as long as Nikola Jokic is engaged and able, I won’t pick against the best player I’ve ever seen. He’s so much better than everyone else the notion there’s an MVP race is laugh-out-loud silly. Oklahoma City has the better and deeper roster with defenders who will frustrate the heck out of Jamal Murray. But where there’s a Joker, there’s usually a Game 7.

Series MVP: Nikola Jokic

The Nuggets need a split between Games 1 and 2 at Oklahoma City. They got one in back-to-back games at Paycom Center in March. Joker had a field day against the Thunder over four games this season, averaging 24.5 points, 15.8 rebounds and 11.5 assists. This series will become OKC coach Mark Daigneault vs. Joker, who’s been co-interim head coach for Denver.

***

Chris Schmaedeke, digital sports editor

Series pick: Thunder in 6

The Nuggets will steal either Game 1 or 2 in Oklahoma City and everybody will remember that Denver won the NBA title in 2023. The teams will split in Denver before the Thunder show why they are the best team in the NBA. The Nuggets run out of gas and the Thunder win two blowouts in Game 5 and 6.

Series MVP: Chet Holgrem

His ability to block shot will alter the Nuggets’ attacks in the paint. Denver loves points in the paint but Holgrem will make this extremely difficult. The Nuggets will have to hit jump shots. If he stays out of foul trouble while guarding Jokic, Holgrem will be an important key for the Thunder.

***

Vinny Benedetto, Nuggets reporter

Series pick: Thunder in 6

The Nuggets keep the momentum from Saturday’s big win over the Clippers in Game 7 and steal Monday’s series-opener in Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, that just gets the Thunder’s attention. Oklahoma City wins Games 2 and 3 in convincing fashion. A Nikola Jokic masterclass is enough for Denver to win Game 4, but the Thunder’s depth is the difference in Games 5 and 6. The Nuggets’ season ends on their home court and starts what is sure to be an interesting offseason in Denver.

Series MVP: Lu Dort

A lot of time will be spent debating the Most Valuable Player race, but this series is the perfect opportunity for Dort to make the case he should’ve won Defensive Player of the Year. The only way the Nuggets pull off the upset is a big series from Jamal Murray. Dort’s primary job is going to be making sure Murray doesn’t get anything easy. The Thunder’s stopper is big and strong enough to make lie difficult with Murray. If Oklahoma City makes eliminating the Nuggets look easy, a lot of hard work from Dort will be key.

***

Tyler King, colleges reporter

Series pick: Thunder in 5

After a hard-fought series victory against an evenly matched Clippers team, the Nuggets are about to find out just how good the best team in the West is. The Thunder won an astonishing 68 games in the regular season on the way to the conference’s No. 1 seed for a second straight season. This time they’re not going to fall to the No. 4 seed in round two. Oklahoma City proves depth and youthful athleticism are the way to win in this new era of the NBA where every last dollar spent on your roster matters.

Series MVP: Sam Presti

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is likely going to receive his first NBA MVP award during this series and will be the star at the center of the Thunder’s convincing series win, the victory over the Nuggets will show that Presti’s work as the GM in Oklahoma City is nothing short of remarkable. Not only are the Thunder as good a bet as anyone to win this year’s NBA title, but they’re also set up to potentially. dominate the rest of the decade.

***

Chris Tomasson, Broncos reporter

Series pick: Thunder in 6

Thunder players have been resting (or filming commercials) since dispatching Memphis in four games in a series that ended April 26. The Nuggets continued playing for another week, winning an emotional seven-game series over the Clippers on Saturday. Now they have a quick turnaround for Monday’s Game 1. The Thunder have too much depth for the Nuggets and too many young legs. Perhaps Nikola Jokic will be extra fired up when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is handed his MVP trophy during the series. But Gilgeous-Alexander has a lot more help than Jokic.

Series MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Canada can celebrate when the Thunder guard gets his MVP trophy for the season. He will become the first native of the country to win the award. (Steve Nash actually was born in South Africa). It will mark seven straight years a foreign-born player has hoisted the trophy. Since 2018-19, Jokic has won three, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo two and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid one. Gilgeous-Alexander enters the series coming off a career playoff high of 38 points in Game 4 against the Grizzlies.

Mark Kiszla, sports columnist

Series pick: Thunder in 7

I didn’t believe the Nuggets would survive Round 1 against the Clippers. But I wasn’t counting on James Harden being foolish enough to put hands on Nikola Jokic in Game 4, which is when Denver got mad, got even and got rolling. Russell Westbrook took great delight in eliminating his old team in L.A., and I suspect Captain Chaos will be off the chain against his former team in OKC, as well. While I think Joker will teach the Thunder that growing up is hard to do in the playoffs, the talent of the West’s No. 1 seed should prevail in the end.

Series MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

In NBA history, we’ve never seen an offensive performance to match the triple-double goodness of Jokic in the 2024-25 season. But SGA and his young crew are building what appears to be a budding dynasty.