The Oklahoma City Thunder is well-rested and ready to go for their Sunday afternoon meeting with the Denver Nuggets. OKC hosts the Nuggets in a rare back-to-back against the same team, starting with a noon tip-off today.
OKC opted to sit out the starters plus Cason Wallace for Friday night’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, and the backup units took care of business anyway, defeating the Blazers 107-89. Not only are the main guys for the Thunder rested and ready to play, but the Nuggets starters played heavy minutes in their Friday night overtime victory against the Suns in Phoenix.
The Thunder continues its three-game home stretch today against the Nuggets at noon 🏠@NickAGallo and @ParisNLawson prep you for the game in today’s @OUHealth Game Day Report 📝 pic.twitter.com/dwmbBVotF4
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 9, 2025
Time off before a game isn’t necessarily a direct indicator of expected success, but it makes sense that the younger, rested team will be able to get out and play their fast-paced tempo of basketball at a more successful rate against an older, perhaps tired squad. Regardless of rest, both teams are playing great basketball lately, which is why the MVP-candidate matchup of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Nikola Jokic will be heavily monitored in these next two games especially.
Both SGA and Jokic have plenty of an argument to make for the MVP award, but voters tend to lean towards whoever is hot lately as opposed to who has been consistent all season long. Jokic put up the NBA’s first-ever 30-20-20 game on Friday when he finished with 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 22 assists, so a lot of attention is on him, but SGA leads the league in 50-point games, 40-point games, and 30-point games this season.
Regardless of who has the better individual game, I think both guys care more about winning the day than they do about winning an award. A lot of people think this is a Western Conference Finals preview, but either way, basketball fans are in for a treat.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 12 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: ABC
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Denver Nuggets Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Luguentz Dort
- SF: Jalen Williams
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Nuggets
- PG: Jamal Murray
- SG: Christian Braun
- SF: Michael Porter Jr.
- PF: Aaron Gordon
- C: Nikola Jokic
Injury Report
Thunder
- Alex Ducas (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Isaiah Hartenstein (nasal fracture) is AVAILABLE.
- Dillon Jones (G League — on assignment) is OUT.
- Ajay Mitchell (sprained right great toe) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) is OUT.
Nuggets
- Aaron Gordon (sprained left ankle) is PROBABLE.
- DaRon Holmes (right Achilles tendon repair) is OUT.
- Nikola Jokic (left ankle inflammation) is PROBABLE.
- Julian Strawther (sprained left knee) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 29-33 against the Nuggets (17-14 at home, 12-19 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series with the Nuggets 7 times, lost it 8 times, and tied it once.
- The Thunder went 3-1 against the Nuggets last season (1-1 at home, 2-0 on the road).
- So far this season, the Thunder is 1-1 against the Nuggets (0-0 at home, 1-1 on the road).