Many NBA fans and other onlookers were curious how The Bubble was going to work. With the United States still in an emergency situation due to the coronavirus, how the NBA ultimately handled getting as close to normal basketball as they could was a major question.

As of now, things seem to be working. So much so that the Nuggets have found out who their first round opponent will be in the playoffs in less than a week: the Utah Jazz.

With a loss by Denver on Wednesday night to the Los Angeles Clippers and a win by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the playoff seedings are officially set.

  • Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs Play-In Tournament Winner (8)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (2) vs Dallas Mavericks (7)
  • Denver Nuggets (3) vs Utah Jazz (6)
  • Houston Rockets (4) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (5)

The Nuggets and Jazz have faced three times this season, with the Nuggets going 3-0 in those matchups, though they were all close. Denver won the three games by a combined 11 points, as one of the matchups was won in the final minute by a Sombor Shuffle and another came down to double overtime here in The Bubble. The Jazz have played Denver close, but Nikola Jokic has come up clutch in every single contest against Rudy Gobert, and that has been the difference maker.

There are plenty of fun matchups to talk about, but all in good time. More playoff discussion and analysis will come from the Denver Stiffs staff over the coming days. For now, let’s just enjoy a brief respite. The Nuggets know who they’re playing, and the gauntlet has now been laid for a deep playoff run.

Let’s see if the Nuggets are up to it.