Jokic said Oklahoma City still played the same kind of defense that bothered him in Games 2 through 4, when he shot just 33% from the field and 18.2% from 3-point range. He again mostly dealt with 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren, 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein and the rugged, energetic Jaylin Williams.

Denver can swing a trade similar to last year's between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, in which San Antonio sent the No. 8 pick to Minnesota for a lightly protected first-round swap six years down the road and an unprotected swap in seven.

Denver was last in the league in 3-point attempts per game during the regular season (31.9), but that number has jumped to 38.5 3PA in the four contests against OKC. In their first-round series versus the LA Clippers, the Nuggets fired up an average of just 29.0 3PA across seven games.

Oklahoma City had its back against the wall on Sunday afternoon, but managed to come away with a win after a solid showing down the stretch.

On the surface, the deal is explosive. Denver would be acquiring Zach LaVine, a dynamic scoring guard who, despite his injury history and defensive limitations, remains one of the NBA’s most efficient high-volume shooters.