The Denver Nuggets nearly kept pace with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the whole game last night. It was a tight affair, and Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dueled. Christian Braun and Michael Porter Jr. threw good performances into the ring, but the Thunder proved to be too much by the final bell. Jokic couldn’t keep pace with SGA for the whole game. He tweaked his elbow, and that clearly affected him. He only shot 43.5% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc – far cries from the typical efficiency that fans have come to expect from him.
In the final period, the Nuggets found themselves outscored by 21 points, and it just crumbled. Now, they face the top seed in the Western Conference on a back-to-back in Oklahoma City once again. It will take a phenomenal effort from the team to get a win. The Thunder have been far and away the best team in the West, and the Nuggets are struggling with a slight injury bug. Aaron Gordon hurt his calf once again, and the team should be careful with that injury, considering he’s hurt it two other times this season. Julian Strawther also is supposed to miss a month.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (41-23) at Oklahoma City Thunder (53-11)
When: 6PM MST
Where: Paycom Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV, Altitude+, NBA League Pass, Altitude Radio 92.5FM. Do a really, really good Kermit the Frog impression and sing Rainbow Connection or Movin’ Right Along maybe that’ll entertain them enough for you to be the halftime show.
The Matchup
| Position | Nuggets | Suns | Advantage |
| PG | Jamal Murray | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Thunder |
| SG | Russell Westbrook | Lu Dort | Even |
| SF | Christian Braun | Jalen Williams | Thunder |
| PF | Michael Porter Jr. | Chet Holmgren | Thunder |
| C | Nikola Jokic | Isaiah Hartenstein | Nuggets |
| Bench | Jalen Pickett, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, You (the viewer at home) | Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams | Thunder |
Injury report: Aaron Gordon – questionable (calf), Julian Strawther – out (knee), DaRon Holmes II – out (achilles), PJ Hall – out (G-League); Nikola Topic – out (knee)
The Three Things
The Thing To Watch For: Bench Production
With the lingering injuries that seem to always keep one or two Nuggets’ rotation players out, they will need to find some form of bench production from one of Zeke Nnaji, Jalen Pickett, or Peyton Watson. As of late, the first two have played well by their standards, and Peyton is just returning from an injury. With the three slated to be the main Nuggets’ bench with Russell Westbrook likely to return to the starting lineup in Aaron Gordon’s absence, they’ll need to show that their run of form isn’t just a purple patch. The Nuggets will need at least one to keep the game within twenty. If they want to win? They’ll need the trio to really give them their a-game.
The Thing To Remember: The Thunder Are Damn Good
Guys, the Thunder just are the league’s best team. Anyone other than them coming out of the West means that they disappointed. They’re the top seed by a wide margin for a reason. The rest of the West is good, but they’re great. They’re marquee, they’re top dollar, whatever phrase you want to use to mean great? That’s what they are. The Nuggets are not a great team this season. They’re not the creme de la creme. They are absolutely a good team, a well above average team in some aspects, but they’re not the Thunder. Temper your expectations for tonight’s game.
The Thing To Listen To: Dear Boss (Bricks) by The Clancy Brothers
