The Denver Nuggets play the Oklahoma City Thunder. Check out our NBA odds series, which includes our pick and prediction for the Thunder-Nuggets game.
The Denver Nuggets are the quirkiness of an NBA season’s opening stretch. The first few weeks of the NBA season are usually unpredictable and strange. Teams are settling into their seasons, learning how to work as a team and create a strong bond on the court. After offseason training and a couple preseason games, athletes are attempting to settle into a routine. That is insufficient to develop complete confidence and intuitive clarity within an offensive system and in a network of relationships with teammates, many of whom are unfamiliar to the player. This rough, ragged, uneven reality is to be expected during an NBA October.
The picture of this instability is the Nuggets.
In the first game of the season, the downsized Utah Jazz destroyed Denver. The Nuggets lacked the Jazz’s vigour and were listless. What if Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are no longer residing in Salt Lake City? The Jazz players ate a Denver omelette on Wednesday night because they were ravenous. The Golden State Warriors were upset by the Denver Nuggets on Friday night after they had travelled to the Bay Area and scored 128 points to do so.
Although the Nuggets may appear to have an easy win in this game, they did fall to the Thunder at home by a 12-point margin the previous season. The Nuggets are now an unreliable team. They must build a fresh reputation as a trusted group. Let’s find out whether they can.
Chet Holmgren, a top draught pick, won’t be playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder this year. They’ll likely be predicted to finish in the NBA’s bottom half once more. But in their season opening on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, they truly fought hard. They trailed by 13 points at the half, but they quickly recovered to lead 87-81 late in the third quarter. Although they lost, they made the Timberwolves work hard for a win. It was a positive performance for a team whose potential is constrained without Holmgren. However, following that game against the T-Wolves, who are predicted to be a Western Conference contender, the ceiling may be higher than many people initially believed.
According to FanDuel, these are the NBA odds for Thunder-Nuggets:
NBA Odds: Thunder-Nuggets Odds
Thunder of Oklahoma City: +8.5 (-112)
-8.5 Denver Nuggets (-108)
Over: 226 (-110) (-110)
Under: 226 (-110) (-110)
Why The Thunder Could Cover The Spread
The Thunder have had two full days to relax, whereas the Nuggets just finished a taxing game against the NBA champion Warriors on Friday. To stave off Golden State late in the Pacific time zone, Denver had to truly dig deep. The Nuggets had to travel across a time zone, return to Denver early on Saturday, and then circle back for this game. It’s a typical back-to-back travel scenario, so the Thunder will be significantly more rested and fresh. In a game where the spread is almost 10 points, though not by much, it can make a big impact. OKC can maintain this deficit of eight points.
Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread
In a season-opening game, the home crowd will inspire the Nuggets. Their victory over the Warriors will have them in a high mood. While Oklahoma City lacks Nikola Jokic, they also have him. In this matchup, Denver has a significant frontcourt advantage.
Final Thunder-Nuggets Prediction & Pick
Denver won’t likely be alert or rested following its late-night victory in San Francisco on Friday. Denver should be constrained by the short turnaround, allowing OKC to fill in.
Final pick and prediction for Thunder-Nuggets: Thunder +8.5
NBA Odds: Thunder vs. Nuggets selection, odds, and prediction – 10/22/2022 was the first post to appear on ClutchPoints.
