Question: Who’s the toughest foe the Nuggets could face in playoffs’ opening round?

Kiz: The Nuggets don’t check the Western Conference standings daily, because they consider it to be a distraction. But I do, because it’s fun and fascinating. With 10 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, the Nuggets seem assured of a top-three seed, along with Golden State and Houston. But the bottom half of the tourney bracket is a jumbled mess. So I wonder: Who would be the toughest out for Denver in the first round?

Singer: I’ve maintained that the Nuggets want no part of the Utah Jazz in the first round. The Oklahoma City Thunder have plummeted in the standings and are now a realistic first-round opponent, but I don’t think the Nuggets are concerned with them nearly as much as they are the Jazz. Not only does Utah present several defensive problems for Nikola Jokic, they’ve already proven they can spring a postseason upset. They took down the Thunder in six games last season.

Kiz: Well, I do know what team I want to see in the opening round. Give me the Thunder, please. Everybody in the Pepsi Center, especially Rocky the mascot, loves to hate Russell Westbrook. What’s more, the Nuggets have beaten Oklahoma City five straight times, dating back to last season, with Nikola Jokic averaging 25.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. Wouldn’t it be especially sweet for the gritty, little Nuggets to eliminate superstars Paul George and Westbrook?

Singer: It would be a delicious matchup and one that would give the Nuggets some exposure in a high-profile series. Their recent record against OKC should also give them confidence, something that can’t be said for a potential Nuggets-Spurs or Nuggets-Jazz series. A matchup against the Thunder would underscore several truths: A) The Nuggets are significantly deeper than most teams, including the Thunder. B) The Nuggets take a much more democratic approach to winning than the Westbrook-George led Thunder. C) I have a feeling that Westbrook’s antics would draw the best out of Jamal Murray, who, after Jokic, is Denver’s second most important player.

Kiz: And the last place this team wants to visit in the opening round is Salt Lake City. Good town. But tough team. The Jazz would be a grind. And a pain. Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and Utah’s physical defense would teach a Denver roster that has little postseason experience how quickly things can escalate in the NBA playoffs.

Singer: It would be a brutal series (Mason Plumlee-Derrick Favors 2.0?), but rather than hope to avoid it, think of what could happen if they catch the Jazz. Say Utah steals a game in Denver, that automatically forces the Nuggets to win on the road. Those are the moments that make teams. Is anyone under the illusion that a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in six years (or won a postseason series in a decade) is going to have a cakewalk? The playoffs are supposed to be difficult.