The Oklahoma City Thunder struck first Sunday in the first of a two-game series between the West’s top two teams featuring the NBA’s leading MVP candidates.
The Thunder rode a 9-0 fourth-quarter to open up a close game, then held off the Denver Nuggets for a 127-103 win. Oklahoma City outscored Denver by 21 points in the fourth quarter of what was previously a back-and-forth game between the Western Conference contenders.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks to lead the Thunder effort. He scored seven straight Thunder points in a 1:20 span late in the fourth quarter to squash any hope of a Nuggets rally.
The 40-point game was the 11th of the season for Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s seeking his first MVP award while leading the Western Conference-leading Thunder. He put up the big numbers in the first game since Nikola Jokić ‘s historic 31-point, 22-assist, 21-rebound effort against the Suns on Friday night that was the first 30-20-20 game in NBA history.
That game reasserted Jokić’s place in the MVP conversation as he seeks the fourth MVP trophy of his career. Jokić had another strong effort with 24 points, 13 rebounds an nine assists on Sunday. But he struggled with his shot after appearing to tweak his right elbow in the first quarter as Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder got the best of his Nuggets.
Jokić had a wrap around his elbow on the bench after hitting it on the floor after a foul. It didn’t limit his availability as he finished the game with 41 minutes. He had ice on his elbow in the postgame locker room, but head coach Michael Malone told reporters that his elbow was fine.
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon left the game early with calf tightness and didn’t return. His status moving forward wasn’t clear after the game.
Jokić scored 14 of his 24 points in the first quarter as the Nuggets opened a 29-28 lead. The game remained close through the end of the third quarter as Oklahoma City entered the fourth with an 86-83 lead. But the fourth quarter was all Thunder.
Oklahoma City rode a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 103-91 with 7:28 remaining. Then Gilgeous-Alexander capped a personal 7-2 run with a 3-pointer that extended Oklahoma City’s lead to 119-101 and put the game to bed with 2:14 remaining.
With the win, the Thunder extended their Western Conference-best record to 53-11 while dropping the Nuggets to 41-23. Oklahoma City is now 12 games ahead of the Nuggets and the 40-22 Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets and Thunder will meet again in Oklahoma City on Monday night.
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Nuggets vs. Thunder odds, line, prediction, start time: 2025 NBA picks, March 9 best bets from proven model
Two of the three best teams in the Western Conference meet when the Denver Nuggets battle the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first of back-to-back games against one another on Sunday. Denver is coming off a 149-141 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday, while Oklahoma City downed the Portland Trail Blazers 107-89 that same night. The Nuggets (41-22), who are second in the Northwest Division, are 19-13 on the road this season. The Thunder (52-11), who are first in the Northwest and the Western Conference, are 27-4 on their home floor.
Tipoff from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City is set for 1 p.m. ET. The Thunder are 7.5-point favorites in the latest Nuggets vs. Thunder odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 243.5. The Thunder are -309 (risk $309 to win $100) money line favorites, while the Nuggets are +248 (risk $100 to win $248) underdogs. Before making any Thunder vs. Nuggets picks, make sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has simulated Nuggets vs. Thunder 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Thunder vs. Nuggets:
Point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed Friday’s game due to taking a rest day, will be back in the lineup. In 61 games, all starts, he is averaging 32.8 points, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and one block in 34.2 minutes. He connects on 52.6% of his field goals, including 37.8% from 3-point range, and 89.8% of his free throws. He has scored 31 or more points in each of the last four games, including a 51-point, seven-assist and five-rebound performance in a 137-128 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Also helping power the Oklahoma City attack is veteran forward Jalen Williams. He missed Friday’s game with a wrist injury but is expected back, although he is a game-time decision. He has scored 20 or more points in each of his last six games, including a 41-point, seven-assist and six-rebound effort in a 146-132 win over the San Antonio Spurs on March 2. In 59 games, all starts, he is averaging 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.8 minutes. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Denver is led by veteran center Nikola Jokic, who is coming off an historic performance in the win over Phoenix on Friday. He became the first player to score 30 or more points, grab 20 or more rebounds and dish out 20 or more assists in a game. He finished with 31 points, 22 assists and 21 rebounds. He has registered 29 triple-doubles on the season. In 57 games, all starts, he is averaging 28.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.6 assists and 1.8 steals in 36.3 minutes.
Veteran point guard Jamal Murray also leads the Nuggets offense. He has reached double-figure scoring in each of his last 19 games, including a 55-point, five-assist and four-rebound effort in a 132-121 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 12. He had 19 points, eight assists and three steals in Friday’s win over the Suns. In 56 games, all starts, he is averaging 21.4 points, 6.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 36.2 minutes. See which team to back at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s model has simulated Thunder vs. Nuggets and is leaning Under the total, projecting 233 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread cashes in nearly 70% of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks.
So who wins Nuggets vs. Thunder on Sunday, and which side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Thunder vs. Nuggets spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.
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SportsLine’s model simulated Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets 10,000 times and revealed its NBA picks for Sunday
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Recap: Denver Nuggets wither late and lose 127-103 to Oklahoma City Thunder
The Denver Nuggets once again got an early tip on Sunday this week. This time it was with one less hour of sleep and against the top team in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dueled like the MVP candidates they are and it was a tight game for three and a half quarters but the Thunder used a strong fourth to put Denver away and get the victory. The two teams will play again tomorrow but the OKC wins the first leg 127-103.
The Thunder were sloppy to open the game and settled for jumpers which let Denver get the first ten points of the contest. Michael Porter Jr. had a huge block and the Nuggets defense was strong early on to maintain the double-digit lead. After an OKC timeout the Thunder refocused and Gilgeous-Alexander got going. The lead was quickly down to four and Michael Malone called timeout. SGA stayed hot but Jokic was aggressive on the other end so Denver maintained the small lead. Jokic took a hard fall around the two minute mark and came up holding his elbow and looking like he was in pain but he stayed in the game. Aaron Gordon however left the game with right calf tightness. Jaylin Williams hit a corner three right before the buzzer to trim the lead to one and after one the score was 29-28 Denver.
Porter gave Denver a little offense to start the second quarter but it wasn’t consistent enough and the Thunder took the lead. Jamal Murray picked up his game while both team’s played good defense and kept the game close. Jokic checked back in with Denver down three but the offense stalled out for a couple minutes before both teams just traded threes for five or six possessions. Oklahoma kept a lead around six through the meat of the quarter. Christian Braun gave Denver offense and sparked a run to take a one point lead but Shai responded with an and-1. At half time the score was 61-60.
Denver’s offense struggled to start the second half and their defense consisted mostly of fouling. They put OKC in the bonus before the nine minute mark while the Thunder’s lead got up to nine. The Nuggets defense tightened up but their offense was anemic and they couldn’t make any gains. Jokic hadn’t it a shot since he hurt his elbow. Jalen Pickett got a couple buckets and Jokic finally got a bucket to pull the Nuggets back within six points with three minutes to go. Both offenses went cold down the stretch of the quarter. Murray hit a three with thirty seconds to go to pull the Nuggets within three and that’s where it stood after three with the Thunder leading 86-83.
The fourth quarter started with an adjustment from Malone who kept Nikola on the floor. Even with Joker, Denver couldn’t get over the hump and take back the lead (they also got a tough whistle). OKC went on a run and the refs missed Chet Holmgren hitting Russell Westbrook in the face which kept Holmgren from fouling out (they did give Malone a technical foul though). The lead pushed back up to double digits. Jokic came back on the floor after a quick rest with the Nuggets in danger of letting the game get away. Denver went on a run to pull within seven and force a Thunder timeout after a Joker three. OKC responded to stop Denver’s run and kept the lead around ten. After the half way mark of the quarter SGA got hot again and started to put the game away. The Thunder got up by seventeen with three minutes to go and it looked over. They kept pouring it on, particularly Jalen Williams, right to the final buzzer and the game ended as a blowout. Nuggets lose 127-103.
Disgusting game from Malone, disgusting game from the refs. Frustrating game from Jamal. Malone going to what amounted to a 6.5 man rotation coming of an OT game and with a game tomorrow. Just absolutely fucking inexcusable. He is straight up Thibs of the West. Dude acknowledged the starters wore worn down last year and what does he do this year? Play them even more minutes. Meanwhile, Booth’s prized draftpick- Watson- gets benched almost immediately and Westbrook again showed why he is going to be a problem in the playoffs.… Read more »
2 moments that decided the game: Hartenstein throwing Jokić on the ground, and Malone starting Russ in the 3rd quarter. You just saw bad Russ in the first half, shooting 0-5 and turning it over… and you’re starting 3 guards lineup against very tall OKC five. Why? Well, because Russ is a veteran and Zeke is… Zeke.
Ah, well. Our guys showed some heart, while it lasted.
3rd: 5 point game when the missed Chet foul happened in the fourth. 5 point swing on that single play plus Chet staying in. That was the moment it was over.
The better team won today. I would not be surprised if OKC waltzes through the WC playoffs to an epic clash with the Cavs in the finals. I am not taking anything away from the Nuggets but sometimes you just have to recognize greatness. It is not the finals the league wants but it might be inevitable.
Playing russ over zeke and Pickett is disgusting. Malone please stop being a fucking idiot.
Let’s give kudos to Pickett. However, the 2 guys booth refused to trade were non-existent today. Strawther is injured and Pwat is still green as ever. Malone needs to stop starting Russ in replace of AG this is becoming a fireable offense. I’m already on the side of Malone being an outdated coach with us. I really hope this isn’t the start of AG being constantly injured. I sense a big offseason looming. I have to be honest and say nobody but Jokic is untouchable
Any news on Watson and AG?
Lose by 20 today and lose by 40 tomorrow
Depth kills…lack of or having a plethora.
We lack depth. OKC has sooooo much.
Doubt OKC at your own peril. We would be lucky to get 1 against them in the playoffs.
nuggets looking tired already. Starters playing more minutes this year after complaining about playing so many last year.
2nd round exit seems optimistic.
I mean, are we forgetting already that the Nuggets beat a full strength thunder this season without Murray (and I think without Gordon)?
I like the passion, but this seems like an overreaction.
Especially if we are injured…but usually in the playoffs depth isn’t a good thing
Welp it was a good fight but In today’s nba we look slow, tired and not engaged.
This isn’t our year again and booth is going to be let go.
Just something off all year with denver.
Say goodbye to mpj and or Gordon in the off-season.
Can’t waste another year of jokic. Jokic ONLY winning one title in denver is criminal.
If all of that was true they would have been down 20 at halftime
It would be devastating to have to give up AG, when healthy there is no defence against his cutters. And I don’t see any decent return for MPJ except maybe Durant but it’s also a major risk…
Im one of the few that would trade MPJ for Durant but i don’t want to trade zeke since he is playing so well (who would’ve thought lol).
Same here but I would go for MPJ and Zeke as I don’t see much options to become a real contender again
durant could have a major fall off any given year. i don’t like the idea of getting him. but ive also never liked his attitude
Who would be your choice for off season trade?
Does anyone have access to data that shows where we stood, league wide, in FT taken and FT allowed- before and after the Luka trade?
Basketball reference has year to date data, lakers have 216 More FT Taken than their opponents, Denver has 129 (in 4th place for biggest difference). OKC is in last place with opponents taking 283 more FT’s.
What is really odd is OKC opponents have missed 133 more FT than OKC. That is 2 points per game they are benefitting from, in second is the Nets with 58. Denver is in 24th place with missing 36 more FT’s than their opponents.
Start of the season to Feb 1st, we attempted the 3rd most per game at 23.6. Same time frame we were 7th lowest in opponent FTA at 19.7
Post Feb 1, we are 28th at 19.7 FTA, 5th highest in opponent FTA at 23.8.
Don’t know if I buy your conspiracy, but there definitely has been a huge shift in how we are officiated.
Today was a virtual b2b with a hampered Jokic, injured AG, no show Watson for whatever reason, and bad refs. No worries.
Tomorrow is a virtual b2b2b. Rest some guys, coach.
I’m starting to feel like for us to get the adoration of the nba and refs we’re going to have to find an all star or superstar in the offseason
