What: Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals
When: Wednesday, 9:30 pm ET, TNT
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Odds: Thunder -10.5, Over/Under 229.5
Nuggets vs. Thunder head-to-head
2-2 during regular season, 1-0 Nuggets in series
October 24 @ Denver: Thunder 102-87
November 6 @ Denver: Nuggets 124-122
March 9 @ Oklahoma City: Thunder 127-103
March 10 @ Oklahoma City: Nuggets 140-127
May 5 @ Oklahoma City: Nuggets 121-119
Nuggets vs. Thunder preview
Shockingly, the road team won all four Game 1s in the conference semifinals of the 2024-25 NBA playoffs. That includes Denver’s 121-119 victory at Oklahoma City on Monday. The Thunder will be desperate to bounce back in front of their home crowd and tie things up on Wednesday night. Fading the best team in the NBA is not an enticing proposition, but neither is giving 10.5 points to Nikola Jokic and company. As such, I’ll look to the over/under and back Over 229.5 for this Nuggets vs. Thunder prediction. A total of 240 points were scored in the series opener and that is nothing new when these two teams tangle. They squared off four times during the regular season and three of those encounters featured 230 points or more–including one with 246 and another with an especially bloated 267 (and overtime wasn’t even required!).
Denver point guard Jamal Murray missed two weeks toward the end of the regular season, but he is 100 percent now and playing great. “Playoff Murray” has scored at least 21 points in six of eight playoff games dating back to a seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers in round one. Aaron Gordon, who averaged 18.9 points per game against Los Angeles, made a game-winning three-pointer on Monday to cap off a 22-point performance. The bottom line is that Jokic is getting plenty of help on the offensive end of the floor. Meanwhile, the Thunder scored 120 points per game during a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies before delivering 119 on Monday. Game 1 produced 240 points even though neither side shot the ball especially well, so the over looks good again for Game 2.
Pick: Over 229.5
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