The Oklahoma City Thunder are outside the playoff picture, but have exceeded oddsmakers' expectations as they square off against the host Denver Nuggets. The Thunder own the best ATS mark in the Western Conference and have won five of their last seven games to creep closer to the .500 mark for the season.
- Date/Time: December 14, 9 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Pepsi Center
- TV Coverage: FSOK, ALT
- Sportsbook Odds: Denver -7 | O/U 205
- Thunder vs Nuggets Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Nuggets opened as seven-point favorites; they're 5-2 ATS in their last seven when favored at home by 5+ points. The total opened at 205.5, and has fallen just a half-point since.
Oklahoma City Thunder News & Notes
The Thunder would be 6-1 over their past seven games were it not for a major collapse Wednesday, squandering a double-digit fourth-quarter lead en route to a 94-93 loss to the Sacramento Kings. And bouncing back won't be so easy, with Oklahoma City having lost all four meetings with the Nuggets last season; all four defeats came by at least nine points.
The Thunder are fortunate to be where they are in the standings despite struggling in just about every facet of offense. Oklahoma City ranks 21st in the NBA in scoring at 107.8 points per game, and 26th in assists per contest (21.6). And they've struggled in other areas, as well, sitting 20th in the league in steals per game (7.4) and 24th in rebounds (42.9).
Denver Nuggets News & Notes
Have the Nuggets put an end to their lengthy offensive struggles? A 114-99 home win over Portland certainly contained plenty of encouraging signs – beginning with Denver going a blistering 18-for-36 from 3-point range after shooting just 34.2 percent from deep over their previous six games. The Nuggets rank in the middle of the pack at 35.7 percent for the season.
Regardless of whether the Nuggets have fixed their offense, they remain one of the most fascinating teams in the league in terms of scoring balance. Denver has had seven different leading scorers over its previous nine games, with Nikola Jokic the only player to do so multiple times. Jokic leads the team in rebounds (10.0) and assists (6.3) and ranks second in scoring (16.2).
Betting Pick: Denver ATS
The Nuggets' high-altitude home-court advantage is always worth a couple of extra points – and with Oklahoma City's offense languishing for most of the season, Denver is well-positioned to continue its success from last season.
- Oklahoma City is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games.
- Denver is 2-5 SU in its last seven games.
- The UNDER is 6-1 in Oklahoma City's last seven games.
