Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets had abysmal shooting performances in Game 4, but OKC managed to squeak out the 92-87 win in Denver on Sunday. The officiating complaints continue to rain down, but the fact of the matter is that this has been a physical series from both sides, and when it comes down to it, whoever can hit shots late in games is likely to be the winner.
The Thunder enters Game 5 as a heavy home favorite over the Nuggets, and that is likely due to the number of minutes being played by both teams’ key players. The Nuggets are essentially running on a 6-man rotation, while the Thunder continues to go deep into their bench whenever necessary. OKC should have more energy in general as they are a younger team, but they cannot afford to lose any momentum that they may have gained by pulling out a win on Sunday.
Game 5 is pivotal in a series that is tied 2-2, as the winner of it goes on to win the series 84% of the time. Because the Thunder is at home, they have to take advantage of the crowd energy early. OKC has shot about as poorly during the playoffs as they have any stretch in recent memory, but if they can turn that around, they could very easily put the Nuggets away comfortably and head back to Denver with a chance to close out the series.
Winning another game against the Nuggets is not as easy as just making more shots, though. Nikola Jokic hasn’t had a great performance since Game 1, so the Thunder’s defense needs to continue to stay locked in on him, as he is doing everything in his power to give Denver a chance at winning. Despite his poor shooting, he has contributed with his skilled passing and pulling down rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t had all that great of a series either, so he is also due for a big game. However, perhaps more than hitting threes, OKC needs to lock in on defense from the start of the game and carry that through until the final buzzer sounds. If the Thunder can keep their defensive energy up throughout the game, they have a good chance to not just win the game, but win it big.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 8:30 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Television: TNT
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
- Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) is OUT.
Nuggets
- DaRon Holmes (right Achilles tendon repair) is OUT.
- Hunter Tyson (sprained ankle) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 30-35 against the Nuggets in the regular season (18-16 at home, 12-19 on the road) and 6-3 in the Playoffs (4-1 at home, 2-2 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 twice.
- The Thunder went 2-2 against the Nuggets in the regular season (1-1 at home, 1-1 on the road).
- OKC trails with Denver 1-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals (1-1 at home, 0-1 on the road).