Isaiah Thomas knows how to navigate a playoff push.
Two years ago in Boston, he led the Celtics to the No. 1 seed and the conference finals before a hip injury prematurely ended his season.
Now healthy and working his way back into playing shape, Thomas has a new franchise to rally in Denver.
The Nuggets (41-18) entered Tuesday’s showdown against Oklahoma City just 1.5 games behind Golden State for the top seed in the Western Conference. They also held a three-game lead on the No. 3 Thunder, which could expand to five if the Nuggets win Tuesday and secure the tiebreaker.