Roundup
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz
Thunder defense draws spotlight, Northwest Division roundup
No games on the schedule in the Northwest Division, but Oklahoma City’s projected defense and fresh franchise valuations shaped the day’s headlines.
By the PickALeague Newsroom · Published · Source: PickALeagueSummary written with AI assistance — how we workLire en français →
It was a quiet night on the court for the Northwest Division, with no games on the schedule and the standings holding steady. The Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz all sit at 1-1, the Oklahoma City Thunder are still looking for their first win at 0-2, and the Portland Trail Blazers technically lead the pack with a clean 1-0 record.
Thunder projected near the top on defense
CBS Sports is high on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s defensive potential. In a league-wide ranking of defenses heading into the 2026-27 season, the outlet has the Thunder competing with the San Antonio Spurs for the top spot, projecting how each NBA team could fare on that side of the ball. For a group that has yet to crack the win column, those expectations suggest Oklahoma City may have a clear identity to lean on as it tries to turn its 0-2 start around.
That kind of national recognition also raises the stakes within a division that figures to be tightly contested. With Portland off to a perfect 1-0 start and the rest of the Northwest bunched up, the Thunder’s ability to impose the defensive standard CBS Sports is forecasting could swing close games and reshape the early narrative around their season.
Nuggets, Wolves, Blazers and Jazz in the financial landscape
Off the floor, Hoops Rumors highlighted Sportico’s updated 2026 NBA franchise valuations. For the sixth straight year, the Golden State Warriors reportedly sit atop the list, with Kurt Badenhausen projecting their value at $14.5 billion. The New York Knicks are also featured at the top of the rankings, underscoring the financial might of those coastal powerhouses.
Northwest Division teams like the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Jazz and Thunder are part of that broader valuation picture, even though no specific numbers are cited for them in the report. The latest figures reinforce the widening gap between the league’s biggest financial heavyweights and the rest of the NBA, a backdrop that shapes how Northwest franchises build and sustain competitive rosters despite differing market realities.