Tip-Off: 8 PM CT
Location: Ball Arena (Denver, Colorado)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live-tweets and discussion during the game
After an exciting offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder are finally back in action tonight as they kick off the preseason on the road against the Denver Nuggets. The Thunder will be without highly-touted rookie Chet Holmgren, who suffered an ankle injury during a pro-am game over the summer, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still dealing with a sprained right MCL, but OKC fans still have plenty to be excited about. While this will likely be another season more focused on development over winning, the Thunder has a healthy mix of a strong returning veteran core and a youthful bunch of new guys.
The Denver Nuggets are led by the reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, and despite his incredible play over the last two seasons, the Nuggets have dealt with nothing but disappointment when it comes to the postseason. Star point guard Jamal Murray tore his ACL in April of 2021, and as a result, he missed the entire 2021-22 season. His highly anticipated return will do well for Denver, and they should be considered one of the several contenders in the Western Conference.
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Josh Giddey
- SG: Tre Mann
- SF: Jalen Williams
- PF: Darius Bazley
- C: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Nuggets
- PG: Jamal Murray
- SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- SF: Michael Porter Jr.
- PF: Aaron Gordon
- C: Nikola Jokic
Injuries
Thunder
- Luguentz Dort is OUT (concussion protocol).
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is OUT (sprained left MCL).
- Chet Holmgren is OUT (Lisfranc injury in right foot).
- Mike Muscala is OUT (not with team).
Nuggets
- None to report
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 24-29 against the Nuggets (16-12 at home, 8-17 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series with the Nuggets 6 times, lost it 7 times, and tied once.
- The Thunder went 2-2 (1-1 at home, 1-1 on the road) against the Nuggets last season.