It’s been just a little over a week since Luguentz Dort tripped Nikola Jokic, and all hell nearly broke loose as the Oklahoma City Thunder held on to defeat the Denver Nuggets 127-101 in overtime. These two teams are extremely familiar with one another at this point, and the bad blood that exists is enough to fuel any basketball fan’s desire for fireworks. On Monday night, they do battle once again in Oklahoma City.
OKC is still nearly as healthy as we would like them to be, and that obviously makes this game a lot more interesting. Chet Holmgren is questionable with the flu, but I’m guessing he will play. As for Denver, they have pretty much everybody available, and even though Jamal Murray is questionable with a sprained ankle, I also think he’ll end up playing. When these two teams met a little over a week ago, the Thunder narrowly won in overtime, and I expect a similarly close game tonight. These two teams are very familiar with each other at this point, and Ajay Mitchell is back, which gives OKC another playmaker on the floor when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander subs out. I’ve got the Thunder winning at home, but expect another clutch-time finish.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | Thunder Favored Against Nuggets At Home as Ajay Mitchell Returns
Historically speaking, the home team has won 79.1% (112-39) of Game 7s, but 10 of the last 15 have gone to the road team. OKC’s crowd is an advantage, but the players still must play the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs to prove why he’s the MVP, Jalen Williams needs to rebound from his abysmal Game 6 performance with a memorable one, and the league’s most tenacious defense needs to prove how they led the way to a league-best 68 wins.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | Western Conference Semifinals Game 7: Denver Nuggets
Oklahoma City hosts Denver in the Thunder’s first Game 7 at home since defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2014 Playoffs. Loud City has lived up to its name, and you can be sure the crowd is going to bring the energy. The Thunder has to take care of business to advance, and it will be nothing short of a major disappointment if they lose. I think the crowd gives OKC an early edge, and if the Nuggets are missing Aaron Gordon, they’re going to have to go deeper in their bench than perhaps they’d like to. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has something to prove, Jalen Williams should have a bounce-back game, and I think a convincing win is in order for the Thunder.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | OKC Favored At Home in Game 7 Matchup with Nuggets
The Thunder had plenty of opportunities, but their lack of experience in tight games proved to be their downfall as the championship pedigree of the Nuggets helped Denver in the clutch. Down 2-1 in the series, OKC doesn’t have to win to stick around in the series, but it certainly feels like if they can’t tie the series up, their hopes of advancing in the playoffs are all but gone. The good news is that there are a lot of small adjustments that can take place that could fuel them to a Game 4 win.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | Western Conference Semifinals Game 4: Denver Nuggets
This spread is about exactly where I would expect it to be given all of the circumstances. The Nuggets have played better since their opening night loss to OKC, and they are at home, but they are missing Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. Put all that together, and I expect the Thunder to win, but I do think Nikola Jokic manages to keep it a closer than some may think. Still, I’m going to give OKC the cover because of how consistent the defense has been through the first 7 games of the season.
View More Thunder Against the Spread | OKC Favored in Denver Over Injured Nuggets
The Oklahoma City Thunder is still searching for a win in 2022 after three straight losses to kick off the new year, and it might not happen for a while based on the upcoming schedule. The Thunder has 9 straight games against teams that are currently at least in position for the play-in tournament if not firmly cemented in a playoff spot, and the tough run begins tonight at home against the Denver Nuggets.
View More Oklahoma City Thunder | Game #39 Preview: Denver Nuggets
Tonight, the Thunder hosts the first of a back-to-back matchup with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are also winless during the preseason at 0-3, but each loss has been by a single possession, by just a combined 5 points. I wouldn’t hope for a win from Oklahoma City tonight or tomorrow when the teams meet again at the BOK Center in Tulsa, but one thing we can always hope for is some highlights from the young guys.
View More OKC Thunder | Preseason Game #3 Preview: Nuggets
It’s been a whopping three days since the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic met for their first meeting of this season, and tonight they will conclude the regular season series in Orlando.
View More OKC Thunder | Game #5 Preview: Magic
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal Twitter: Follow @TheThunderGuys for live-tweets during…
View More Game #53 Preview | Orlando Magic