Can the Oklahoma City Thunder Shock the Denver Nuggets Back-to-Back?
The Oklahoma City Thunder will host the Denver Nuggets tomorrow in a back-to-back meeting between the first and third seeds within the Western Conference. The two teams only played earlier today, with the Thunder beating the Nuggets 127-103. Unsurprisingly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 40 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Leading the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic boasted 24 points, nine assists, and 13 rebounds, while Michael Porter Jr. scored 24 points and gathered 15 rebounds. Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander are top contenders for this year’s NBA MVP race.
Who will win the matchup tomorrow? The short answer is likely the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although Jokic is always a force to be reckoned with on the court, he was tempered by the Thunder’s seven-foot centers, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, who muffled his normal flow. Holmgren was out with an injury earlier in the season and has only made the already dominant Thunder team even better since his return. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s starters were coming off a more well-rested few days, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Cason Wallace all sat out on Friday’s game against the Portland Trailblazers. This upcoming game will have the two teams on a more similar playing field in terms of rest provided to key players, which is, well, no rest. The presence of Aaron Gordon for the Nuggets is questionable, however, and will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis due to a calf injury that resulted in his early departure from their previous matchup. Although Jokic was able to play, he was considered questionable before the game due to left ankle inflammation, so the Nuggets will certainly struggle if he sits out.
The Thunder are simply a deep team that dominates on both offense and defense but especially surpasses the Nuggets on the defensive end. There is no weak link in the Thunder’s defense, even with someone like Gilgeous-Alexander, who expends a large amount of energy on the offensive end as the leading scorer in the NBA with 32.9 points per game. On the other hand, the Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray are typically considered to be somewhat of a liability on the defensive end, and it is a struggle for them to find a matchup for someone with Gilgeous-Alexander’s play style.
