"They gassed out" - T-Mac thinks the Thunder are beatable, doubles down on Nuggets being title favorites

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"They gassed out" - T-Mac thinks the Thunder are beatable, doubles down on Nuggets being title favorites

Yakshpat Bhargava · Basketball Network

Thu, Feb 5, 2026 ·

3 min read

T-Mac says the Nuggets are too strong and deep

Interestingly, Tracy pointed to last year's playoffs as the foundation for his stance. When the Nuggets faced the Thunder in the second round, the former team was far from its best. With Michael Porter Jr. struggling due to injuries, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon playing well below their regular-season level, Denver still managed to drag a fully healthy, in-form OKC squad to a Game 7.

Now, what stands out for McGrady is how the Nuggets have evolved since then. Not only have the new additions settled into clearly defined roles, but they are constantly relieving pressure off Jokic in games by tirelessly playing hard and showcasing their commitment to sharing the workload. Put simply, now with improved depth and continuity, Denver looks more balanced than it did a year ago.

As a result, McGardy emphasized that, as the Nuggets have grown more confident with each successive game, it is hard for him to pick any team other than Denver as his title favorites.

"I don't think the noise got to them in the beginning when they were on that run because it was a crazy run. I just think they gassed out. I think, guys got tired. You had guys in and out of the lineup, " McGrady said . "I always felt, anyway, Denver was my team, regardless of what OKC was doing. I was always a Denver guy because Jokic is the best player in the player. Tim Hardaway Jr, Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, and Valanciunas, I thought the addition of those four guys with that team… I'm looking at Denver, 'Bro, they got it.'"

Are the Thunder falling off the cliff?

At one point in the 2025-26 season, the Thunder looked capable of challenging the Golden State Warriors ' historic 73-9 record from the 2015-16 regular-season campaign. However, the manner in which they have lost five of their last 11 games paints a more concerning picture as their opponents are gradually figuring them out.

Three of those four losses featured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 30 or more points, highlighting a trend in which opponents willingly let the reigning MVP dominate by scoring while focusing on neutralizing the impact of other players. This may be why, despite being the best team in the league, opponents are indeed not fearing the Thunder as the season moves ahead.

In contrast, the Nuggets' supporting cast has shown how they aren't just capable of winning games without Jokic but can even make timely adjustments to improve the team's winning prowess with The Joker back on the floor.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.