Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Prediction: The Thunder can be tough

The NBA Regular Season is on and what a fantastic start this has been to an amazing season. As we head deeper into the season, this will only become trickier with each day. In this Regular Season, there have been some amazing battles and as we head deeper, injuries will pile up. In this Regular Season game, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to take on the Denver Nuggets.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder come into this game after losing 119:129 despite a 30 points performance by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder has now lost seven of the ten games and they have now won seven games and ten losses. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored 30 or more in four of the five games and continues to be one of the best scorers in the league. The Thunder’s offense has improved but their defense has suffered a bit lately. Thus, there need to be massive improvements on that end.

They have given up 120 points or more in most games lately. The Thunder’s offense has done well lately with the team unearthing hot hands apart from Shai. Giddey has done well on that end despite his inconsistencies. Tre Mann and Aleksej Pokusevski are amazing off-the-bench while rookie Jalen Williams has been getting it done and defensive Forward Jeremiah Earl-Robinson has been a decent influence. Overall, the Thunder has a long way to go.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets come into this game after losing 108:110 despite a 31 points performance by Nikola Jokic but a couple of free-throws by Bojan Bogdanovic buried the game for the Nuggets. The loss resulted in seven losses and the team has 10 wins. The Nuggets have been struggling on the offensive end lately which is a change from the earlier norms. One of the major reasons for that has been the injury bug that claimed Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets have a deep unit and they can do much better than what they have done. They have a strong scorer in Jamal Murray, and the Forward duo of Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. complement each other well. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been an effective two-way Guard. Bones Hyland has been doing a great job on the offensive end. Bruce Brown is an incredible wing who can play multiple positions. The Nuggets will be looking to regain rhythm.

Injuries

• Thunder: OUT: Aleksej Pokusevski, Mike Muscala, Chet Holmgren;
• Nuggets: OUT: Jeff Green, Ish Smith. QUESTIONABLE: Bones Hyland.

Player Props

• Expected Leading Scorers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander(27-34 Points), Nikola Jokic(28+ Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Nikola Jokic(10+ Rebounds), Josh Giddey(7+ Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Nikola Jokic(8+ Assists), Josh Giddey(6-8 Assists).

Expert Betting Tips

The Nuggets will be looking much better once their current unit finds cohesion on the offensive unit after they were derailed due to injuries. They have both the personnel and the coaching style to make it happen. The Thunder has been struggling on the defensive end which is a surprise for a team that showed tremendous poise on that end last season, but now they have become more offensive-oriented.

The Nuggets will enter as the favorites here and I believe the loss against the Pistons would have surely hurt them. As we engage in match-up scenarios, it is tough to see the Thunder thwarting the charge of Nikola Jokic. That is why I believe the Nuggets will win 119:112.