Two teams that are hoping to come out of the West this season will meet as Denver Nuggets host Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, 02:00 AM BST, and in this article I'll offer a few of my top Denver Nuggets vs OKC Thunder predictions.
Furthermore, I have prepared a complete Nuggets vs Thunder preview, including team form, injuries and other news, along with the latest Nuggets vs Thunder odds. So, let's take a closer look at this game and what we can expect from it.
Nuggets vs Thunder predictions
Home team total points
Under 107.5
5/6
Player to record 30+ points
Nikola Jokic
6/5
To record a double-double
Chet Holmgren
4/6
All odds for my Nuggets vs Thunder picks were taken from Paddy Power and are subject to change at any time.
Denver Nuggets under 107.5 total points
The Nuggets have struggled on the offensive end this season and that was with Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon in the lineup. Since they will both miss this game, Denver will struggle to score even more, especially against a team like Oklahoma City Thunder. After all, the Thunder only allow 96.5 points per game to their opponents this season, which is by far the best in the league.
We already saw this when these two teams met in their opening game of the new season, when the Thunder held the Nuggets to just 87 points. In the final two duels with OKC last season, the Nuggets scored 93 and 100 points. So, all things considered, I can't see the Nuggets scoring more than 107 points tonight, which is my first Nuggets vs Thunder prediction.
Nikola Jokic to record 30+ points
Last season and this season combined, we have yet to see Jokic score 30+ points against the Thunder and it might see logical to expect him to fail once more considering how great OKC have been on the defensive end of the court so far.
However, the three-time MVP already went over 30 twice this season and with the Nuggets depleted, he will have to carry them tonight from start to finish. If the Nuggets are to stay in this game, they will need Jokic to score a lot of points and he's capable of doing that when necessary even against the best defenses in the league. So, Jokic to score 30+ points is another of my Nuggets vs Thunder picks.
Chet Holmgren to record a double-double
The last of my Nuggets vs Thunder tips is for Chet Holmgren to record a double-double. He did this three times in seven games this season, falling short by one rebound twice. Furthermore, in five games in which he played at least 25 minutes, he recorded a double-double three times.
While Holmgren will have a tough task against Jokic down low, he proved he's capable of holding his ground against him in the first duel between these teams earlier this season, when he recorded 25 points and 14 rebounds.
Nuggets vs Thunder preview – teams news, injuries, and predicted lineups
The former NBA champions have started the new season slowly and while they've managed to win four of their seven games, things aren't looking great for them at the moment. Not only is the Nuggets bench looking very bad, but even some of their starters have struggled so far.
On top of that, the Nuggets are currently without Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, two of their arguably three best players, so the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic will have to keep playing his best basketball for Denver to win any games. The Nuggets are also without DaRon Holmes II, who is out for the season, while Vlatko Cancar is a game-time decision.
The Nuggets enter this match with a 4-3 record.
Nuggets starting lineup: Westbrook, Braun, Porter Jr, Nnaji, Jokic
The young Oklahoma City core that finished first in the Western Conference last season is looking even better now and the Thunder are one the only still undefeated team, next to the Cavaliers. Led by SGA and Holmgren and very deep with quality players, this is currently the best defensive team in the league by a mile, while their offense is also very good.
OKC Thunder remain without a few solid players who are injured right new, such as Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, while Nikola Topic and Kenrich Williams are also out.
The Thunder enter this match with a 7-0 record.
Thunder starting lineup: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Dort, Williams, Holmgren
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