A lot still must shake out, but if the Golden State Warriors — a lock for the play-in tournament — advance to the playoffs, their best first-round matchup would be against Oklahoma City.

Despite their stellar record, the Thunder (55-25) have little postseason experience and would, therefore, be a more favorable matchup than Golden State’s other potential first-round opponents, the Minnesota Timberwolves (55-25) or reigning champion Denver Nuggets (56-24).

As they pursue Anthony Edwards on the perimeter, Golden State (45-35), presently ranked ninth, lacks the size to consistently match up with Minnesota’s big-man rotation of Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid. At a press conference held prior to the Warriors’ game on March 24, Warriors coach Steve Kerr referred to Reid as a “Warriors killer.”

With Nikola Jokić, the current NBA Finals MVP, leading the Nuggets, they may not have the intimidating bulk of Minnesota, but they still have the best lineup in basketball.

Like most teams, the Warriors struggle to stop Denver’s two-man combo of Jamal Murray and Jokić while attempting to stop the Nuggets from taking advantage of additional opportunities that arise from the gravity that their star tandem brings. This season, Denver has defeated Golden State in each of their four meetings.

 

However, the Warriors have the personnel and experience to match up with Oklahoma City, who have won three of four against Golden State this season.

Golden State’s arsenal of wing defenders — Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Klay Thompson — has playoff experience and can rotate on the Thunder’s best scorers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30.4 PPG) and Jalen Williams (19.3 PPG).

Additionally, the Warriors have Draymond Green (230 pounds), Trayce Jackson-Davis (245 pounds) and even Kevon Looney (222 pounds) to wear down 7-foot-1, 207-pound rookie Chet Holmgren (16.5 PPG).

The Warriors are also a much different team from when these teams last played on Dec. 8.

For instance, Kerr has finally infused the starting lineup with more size and athleticism, slotting Jackson-Davis at center (averaging 11.6 points and 1.9 blocks as a starter). Jackson-Davis has taken nearly all the minutes from offensive liability Looney and defensive liability Dario Šarić.

In addition, Kuminga, who has averaged 18.2 points since December 8, has emerged as a star in his own right.

Since Jackson-Davis was added to the starting lineup by Kerr, the Warriors have won eight straight games, including a 100-92 victory over Portland on Thursday. Furthermore, Golden State has won 17 of its last 21 games away from home.

The best possible matchup for the Warriors in the playoffs would be versus OKC.