Game Tonight: OKC Thunder vs Nuggets Odds, Starting Lineup, Injury Report, Predictions, for Oct. 22

The second game of the season is set for this evening with the OKC Thunder traveling to Denver to face the Nuggets at Ball Arena. Denver is playing a back-to-back set having played Friday battling the Warriors to the wire prior to winning the match.

The OKC Thunder will play their own back-to-back set on Sunday with Minnesota in town.

Speaking of the Wolves that opening match offered up hints this Thunder team hasn’t lost their fighting spirit or defensive will as they kept the Wolves engaged for a full 48 minutes. OKC came just a few bounces shy of the upset.

As for the Nuggets, they return healthier this season with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. both returning from injury. Murray tore his ACL in 2020 and sat the entirety of last season while MPJ had his third back surgery and missed all but nine games last season.

In spite of losing their second and third-best offensive talents, the Nuggets inexplicably posted the sixth-best offense in 2021-22. That of course speaks to the brilliance of back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic.

This Nuggets squad is poised to get back into the thick of the title race and shored up their depth by adding what might be dubbed the best offseason moves made by any organization given the roster fit and how they mesh with the Joker skillset…

Bruce Brown will be cutting to the basket and giving Jokic an easy target for dimes while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will space the floor with his 39 percent efficiency from the perimeter.

BOTH players will improve the defensive prowess of this Nuggets team as well who undoubtedly have their eyes set on getting back to the Conference Finals and this time moving on to the NBA Finals.

It will be a solid test for the Thunder who can analyze how they stack up versus a club likely headed for a top-10 finish on both sides of the hardwood.

OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Odds, Spread, Over/Under

The latest odds from Odds Shark have Denver listed as 7.5-point favorite with an over/under mark of 225 points. The money line is set at +250 for the Thunder and -350 for the Nuggets.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Thunder Starting Lineup:

Assuming Mark Daigneault doesn’t tweak the rotation with a view to specific matchups the starting five would be:

• Josh Giddey
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Kenrich Williams
• Luguentz Dort
• Aleksej Pokusevski

That said, there’s a possibility the coach wants to get a look at someone bigger (bulkier) versus Nikola Jokic and in that scenario, it would be logical to assume Jeremiah Robinson-Earl or maybe Ousmane Dieng get the tap (the latter especially because of his strong showing in Minny).

Thunder Injury Report

Chet Holmgren will miss the entire season after suffering a Lisfranc fracture in his foot and undergoing surgery to repair it.

An errant Jaden McDaniels elbow to the face of Jalen Williams resulted in an orbital bone fracture and subsequently, the rookie will miss the rest of the games this month.

Nuggets injuries: Jamal Murray didn’t play Friday so it’s expected he’ll suit up for this match which is also the Nuggets’ home opener. Collin Gillespie (lower leg surgery) is the lone Nuggets player expected to not be available.

OKC Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets Prediction

If the opening game of the season for the OKC Thunder taught us anything it’s that this club won’t simply raise a white flag. The players know Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson would improve the talent on the roster but these guys are competitors and with that, they naturally are programmed to want to win.

Although the Nuggets played on Friday – this is their home opener which will add some energy to the game as will the expected appearance of Jamal Murray who’ll be playing in front of his home fans for the first time since April 12th, 2020.

Nuggets head coach, Michael Malone won’t let the Nuggets use the excuse of being fatigued this early in the new season. Nor will he accept losing to two ‘tanking’ clubs in the first three games. So expect the Nuggets to come out hot and keep their foot on the pedal for the entirety of the 48 minutes to capture their first home victory of the season.

Nuggets 118, Thunder 110

Canada eh?

An interesting dynamic of this matchup is fans may be witnessing several of the Canadian Olympic team members on the court tonight. In fact, it’s expected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray will be the starting backcourt for Nick Nurse.

That’s in spite of the wealth of Canadian guards in the NBA including SGA’s cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker, RJ Barrett (whose father is part of the management for Team Canada Basketball alongside good friend Steve Nash), Andrew Wiggins, rookie Shaedon Sharpe and many more.

Lu Dort is also a Nurse favorite although he likes to use him as his sixth man and defensive specialist.

What channel is the Thunder-Nuggets game on?

Per usual the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports Oklahoma or NBA League Pass. Tip-Off is set for 9:00 p.m. EST (8:00 CT) from Ball Arena, in Denver, Colorado.

History:

Last season these Northwest Division clubs played four times with the teams splitting the season series with two wins each. The Thunder hold the all-time record having bested the Nuggets in 101 of their 191 matches in the course of history.

The teams will play four times this season with the Nuggets hosting this match as well as January 22nd while the Thunder will host the Nuggets in two games slated for November 3rd and 23rd.

OKC Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets Live Stream

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Thunder Next Game and Schedule

OKC finishes up week one with their second game versus the revamped Minnesota Timberwolves this time on their home court.

Week 2 offers a trio of matches and the first example of MLB-style scheduling which began during the pandemic (teams stay in the same market to save on travel time). The first of those MLB-style segments features the Thunder hosting the LA Clippers on Tuesday, October 25th, and Thursday, October 27th.

OKC will wrap up week two with a trip to Dallas where they get their first look at Luka Doncic and his Mavericks on Saturday, October 29th.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.