Thunder vs. Nuggets prediction: NBA odds, picks, best bets Wednesday

The Nuggets big nan Thunder connected Wednesday nighttime successful a rematch of their play opener arsenic Denver looks to build connected its two-game winning streak. 

While nan Nuggets are 4-1 successful their past 5 games, a person look reveals that they’ve benefited from a softer schedule, pinch victories complete nan Raptors (two), Nets and Jazz, 3 teams pinch a mixed 7-16 record.

They’ll now measurement up successful people against a Thunder squad that, astatine 7-0, has yet to sensation defeat. 

Thunder vs. Nuggets odds

Oklahoma City Thunder betting preview

The feline is firmly retired of nan container pinch nan Thunder, arsenic they’re nary longer nan best-kept concealed crossed nan NBA landscape. 

In nan erstwhile campaign, Oklahoma City won 57 games, going Over its triumph full of 44.5 while finishing arsenic nan No. 1 seed successful nan Western Conference.

This season, nan Thunder opened pinch a triumph full of 57.5, and fixed their basking start, that number looks for illustration a bargain.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an MVP candidate. Getty Images

OKC managed to support nan halfway of its roster intact while bringing successful Alex Caruso astatine shooting defender via waste and acquisition and signing free-agent halfway Isaiah Hartenstein. 

Caruso and Hartenstein supply nan Thunder pinch elite defending successful nan backcourt and frontcourt. 

Although nan halfway has yet to characteristic this play owed to a manus injury, OKC’s 93.8 Defensive Rating is much than 8 points amended than nan Warriors, who rank 2nd successful nan category.

Denver Nuggets Betting Preview

Like nan Thunder, Denver vanished pinch 57 wins successful nan erstwhile run but had to settee for nan 2nd seed successful nan West aft losing nan head-to-head tiebreaker (3-1) against OKC. 

Unfortunately, their occurrence successful nan regular play didn’t transportation into nan playoffs, arsenic they sewage somewhat exposed owed to their deficiency of a 3rd superstar and a chair deprived of immoderate existent depth.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson, nan fewer chair players nan Nuggets could count on, person moved connected to different teams.

While Denver hopes to capable that void pinch Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric, location are still plentifulness of questions astir nan wide value astatine this shape successful their careers.

Nikola Jokic leads a struggling Nuggets squad into a crippled against nan Western Conference favorites. AP

Westbrook has go 1 of nan league’s worst perimeter shooters. He has changeable little than 30% successful 4 of nan past 5 years, and this season’s 20.8% from beyond nan arc is simply a career-worst.

Saric hardly gets connected nan court, averaging 8.8 minutes while playing successful 5 of 7 games.

To make matters worse, Denver mislaid its highly-touted draught pick, DaRon Holmes II, to an Achilles wounded successful his first Summer League game.

As a result, nan Nuggets must trust moreover much connected their three-time MVP, Nikola Jokić, to play much minutes, which could lead to further fatigue down nan stretch.

Thunder vs Nuggets pick

Denver has mostly been an above-average protect squad because it limits its opponents’ possessions by playing astatine a slower pace.

Its protect ratio is only 0.7 points higher than past year’s, but its violative standing is down from 117.8 to 114.5.

Those violative numbers are moreover much skewed, considering nan value of nan force successful victories complete nan Raptors, Nets and Jazz.

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Things won’t get immoderate easier Wednesday night, pinch nan Nuggets second-best player, Jamal Murray, ruled retired owed to a concussion.

Murray’s unavailability resulted successful nan Thunder moving from a -3.5-point favourite to arsenic precocious arsenic -7.

Since we’ve missed our chance astatine getting nan amended number, I’d urge a first-half play that gets america backmost to laying 3.5 pinch nan visitors successful a crippled that nan Nuggets should struggle to switch Murray’s production.

Best bet: Thunder 1H ML (-115, BetMGM)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Arinze handicaps astir awesome sports for nan New York Post. He’s cashed 2 15-leg teasers successful his betting profession arsenic good arsenic a 12-leg parlay that included 8 Little League World Series games. More recently, he accurately picked finalists successful nan 2024 European Championships and Copa America.