Thunder vs Nuggets: Tips, Odds, and Match Preview

The Western Conference Semifinals matchup between the Thunder and Nuggets was a highly-anticipated matchup by experts, and it has delivered so far. Oklahoma City and Denver have traded wins over the first four games, with the first two being played at Paycom Center and the latter two at Ball Arena, and both squads will match up for a pivotal Game 5 contest in OKC.

The Thunder have the edge when it comes to the momentum, as they’ve found a way to slow Nikola Jokic down and are also coming off a tight win on the road in Game 4. However, Denver has found a way to respond every time they’ve lost in this series, and that shouldn’t change here. Plus, they’d be in a much better position if Jokic hasn’t been struggling as he has thus far.

Thunder Looking to Protect Home Court

The Thunder suffered a devastating loss in the series opener but bounced back in a big way in Game 2, scoring 149 points and showing they can get the job done at home. After all, the Thunder went 35-6 at home during the regular season and 3-1 during the playoffs, so they’ve gotten used to winning in front of their fans.

Doing so against Denver might be a bit more complicated, but it seems the Thunder have found a way to prevent the two-men game of Jokic and Jamal Murray, which has resulted in OKC winning two of the last three. The Thunder have recorded wins of over 20 points in three of their four games of the playoffs, so there’s no question they’re a hard team to beat in front of their fans.

Thunder Injury & Suspension News

The Thunder don’t have any notable injury absences for Game 5 on Tuesday. Their lone absence is Nikola Topic, but he’s been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury while recovering from an ACL tear.

Jokic Needs to Wake Up For Denver

The Nuggets will only go as far as Jokic can take them, and the star center has had a rough going so far in this series. The MVP candidate has struggled since scoring 42 points in the series opener and is shooting only 21-of-63 from the field over the last three games while scoring 17, 20 and 27 points, respectively. This is the first time in Jokic's career that he has shot worse than 40 percent while taking at least 15 shots in three consecutive games.

As things stand now, Jokic needs to be better, but the Nuggets must execute better on both ends of the court if they want to have any shot at winning on the road. Denver has failed to reach the 110-point mark in the two losses and has given up over 115 points in the two wins, so there’s a lot of work to be done. But if Jokic plays better and impacts the game as he often does, the Nuggets would have a better chance of stealing another win on the road.

Nuggets Injury & Suspension News

The Nuggets don’t have any notable injury absences for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Thunder vs Nuggets Prediction

Aside from this game being a matchup between the top two candidates for the 2025 NBA MVP award, this is also an intense series where neither team gives an inch to the other. The defensive intensity should ramp up even more in the coming games, and therefore, we could be in line for another low-scoring affair. Two of the last three games in the series have finished with under 220 points, and that should happen again Tuesday.

CryptoGamba tip: Under 220.5 total points – 1.93 @Stake