Thunder Will Look To End Two-Game Skid On Wednesday
There's Value In The Nuggets vs Thunder Matchup Odds
The Denver Nuggets will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in a potential Western Conference Finals matchup.
The Nuggets are 33-15 on the season but are currently the reigning and defending World Champions. Meanwhile, the Thunder are sitting at 32-15, one of the league’s most talented teams in the NBA.
The Nuggets are second in the West, while the Thunder are third in the conference. Both teams have aspirations to make it far in the playoffs this year.
Although the Nuggets and Thunder will play their final game of the regular season, there’s a strong possibility that we will see this matchup more in the postseason.
The Thunder have defeated the Nuggets in two of the three matchups and will look to close out the regular season with a series win. There have been two massive blowouts and one tight game in Denver. However, the Nuggets lost at home in that game, 118-117.
At home, the Thunder are -1.5, with the total currently at 229.5. However, Oklahoma City has lost its last two games and is currently trending down.
Let’s break down the Nuggets vs Thunder matchup odds for this highly anticipated Western Conference game.
Nuggets vs Thunder 
Date, time:
Location: Paycorn Center
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Nuggets vs Thunder Matchup Odds & Trends
While the Denver Nuggets are 33-15 on the season, they’ve only gone 20-27-1 against the spread this season. The defense has also looked better than its offense this year, with the Under hitting in 30 of 48 games this season.
The Nuggets are typically dominant at home. However, on the road, Denver is 14-11 on the season. Meanwhile, the Thunder are 17-6 at home and have won against the spread in 30 of 47 games this year.
They’ve also hit the Over in 26 of those 47 games.
Again, the Thunder have defeated the Nuggets in two of the last three games this season. Not only were the Thunder underdogs in those games, but they won outright on the road in both matchups.
Michael Malone’s 400th Regular Season Win
Michael Malone notched his 400th career regular season with the Denver Nuggets in Monday’s win over the Bucks.
When asked about the milestone, Malone joked that he meant he was there for a long time.
Only two other coaches have more wins as the Nuggets head coach in the regular season. George Karl has 423, and Doug Moe has 432.
Malone will likely get past those two and become the franchise leader for head coaching wins in a regular season.
Many NBA teams have canned their coaches too quickly. Denver didn’t and even earned a title because of it. The Nuggets do things the right way and are now being rewarded.
Does Vasilije Micic Fit In With The Thunder?
The EuroLeague back-to-back champion, Vasilije Micic, isn’t getting the playing time he expected when he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He has found comfort through his struggles. However, he’s only earned about 12 minutes per game and is scoring just 3.3 points with 2.4 assists per game. The 30-year-old is not a rookie. But he was essentially considered a piece to the Oklahoma City puzzle.
Mark Daigneault, the head coach of the Thunder, praised Micic as a wizard on the court.
Many Europeans believe the USA is easier for basketball. There are more fouls called and less ball movement. So, for many NBA teams, these Europeans bring toughness to the NBA, which is rare in the USA.
However, it’s intriguing to look back. Micic won the EuroLeague MVP in 2021 and the Final Four MVP in 2021 and 2022. Yet, he’s only getting 12 minutes a night in the NBA.
While the league is different in play style, it’s clear that the NBA has way more talent on its rosters.
Only The Nuggets Will Dominate The Glass
The Oklahoma City Thunder are terrific defensively. They’ve held opponents to 112.4 points per 100 possessions and an effective field goal percentage of 52.6%.
On top of that, the Thunder have earned the most turnovers on the defensive end this season. Still, the Thunder wastes a lot of that defense by allowing 31.1% of offensive rebounds and a high free throw rate of 21.8.
The Nuggets are an above-average offense that scores 119.2 points per 100 possessions. They get good looks and don’t turn the ball over at a high rate. That’s not convincing for the Thunder. Plus, the Nuggets have earned more than 29% of offensive rebounds per game this season.
While Denver isn’t getting to the foul line at a high rate against the Thunder, that rate should at least go up.
On the other hand, the Thunder will limit turnovers really well. The Nuggets have only grabbed 12.4% of turnovers this season. Oklahoma City also takes some really good looks and will likely shoot a higher field goal percentage.
The difference is the rebounding. The Thunder have earned under 24% of offensive rebounds so that they won’t see many second-chance opportunities. The Thunder will do a better job at keeping turnovers down, which helps get shots up. But overall, the Nuggets are still an above-average offense, too. They can keep up with the Thunder while also getting more chances on the glass.
There are many NBA games today and plenty of NBA odds on the board. Our free NBA picks include the Nuggets at +1.5 (-110) after reviewing the Nuggets vs Thunder matchup odds.
