NBA Playoffs must-follow storylines: Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets

Key matchup: Nikola Jokic vs. Rudy Gobert

There’s a certain laziness in selecting a matchup between two of the game’s premier centers. An obvious choice that would hardly come as a surprise. But when two positional contemporaries take vastly different routes to the top of their profession, a pending clash is bound to bring intrigue.

Jokic has elevated himself with an unprecedented level of offensive wizardry, a combination of grace, brute physicality and the best passing ever seen from a seven-footer. Gobert makes his mark at the other end, where back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards have been no accident.

Jokic is the hub from which every part of Denver’s top-five offense flows through. Aside from being their leading scorer, his playmaking creates opportunities for each of his teammates. No surprise that he’s tops among Nuggets with an added 5.2 points per 100 possessions on offense — per Cleaning The Glass.

No single defender has contested more of Jokic’s shots this season than the Stifle Tower — per NBA.com stats. Jokic is 22-of-45 on such attempts, a percentage of 48.9 below his season-long average of 52.8.

He limited Jokic to 6-of-15 with three turnovers in their most recent matchup. It was all for nothing in a loss, but it was the closest Utah has come to victory in three tries. More of the same effort is priority No. 1 for any chance the Jazz have at an upset.