Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Preview Dec 22
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Tony Finn offers his Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets betting preview for Wednesday, December 22. At the time of posting, the Nuggets are holding steady as a 6-point road favorite in Oklahoma City, with the total dropping to 212.5 points.
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| Wed, Dec 22 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Denver Nuggets -6 at Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Total: | 212.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 8:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT |
| Arena: | Paycom Center |
| TV: | Bally Sports Oklahoma |
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Analysis
Denver All-Star Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets (15-14, 5th in NBA – West) have a date with conference cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (10-19, 13th in NBA – West). The Wednesday night event has a scheduled tipoff at 8:00 pm ET in Oklahoma City.
The Joker isn’t having nearly as much fun this year as in season’s past. Jokic ranks sixth in the NBA, averaging 26.3 points per game, and without his services, on game night, this Nuggets squad is as offensively challenged as any of the less-than in the league. Jokic’s foe on humpnight, Thunder, is a frustrated group. Oklahoma City is a “face reality” 2-11 in games decided by ten or more points.
Denver doesn’t only scuffle to score points without their star center. They allow their opponents to dominate the glass too. As a result, the Nugs reside at the bottom of the Western Conference statistical rebounding chart registering 42.1 rebounds per game. Nearly one-fourth of those boards belong to Jokic (averaging 13.5).
For those Association fans who have been hiding in suburbian malls or living a tunnel-visioned existence front and center of a PC ordering holiday gifts online, breaking news is likely all around you; the return of COVID-19 is playing in a theatre near you. The evidence that the Drama Series is real and carving a wide path right down the middle of Holiday Street are blinking neon bright on almost every store sign in the National Basketball Association.
The Thunder is one of the few NBA franchises that hasn’t been inflicted with the unwanted novelty. OKC has yet to have a player miss a game due to COVID this season.
“There’s probably some randomness to the fact that we haven’t got hit by it,” Thunder coach Daigneault was quoted as saying. “But this year, we’re certainly hyper-aware of what’s going on and trying to promote as much safety as we can,” Daigneault added.
Wednesday’s game is the first of four meetings between the teams this season, and by my measures, the market continues to ignore the true value of the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and rookie Josh Giddey have had their share of exhausting 15-minute moments this season; however, with pain comes gain. The OKC kid who comes off the Thunder’s bench is averaging 10.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 24.4 points over the team’s last ten games, and once believed to be, but a defensive asset Dort is tossing 17.2 points to the rim on a nightly basis.
This proverbial battle of expectations versus hope headlines tonight’s game as usual postseason Denver is in OKC intending to grab some of the Thunder’s turf. Circa of Las Vegas opened the visiting Nuggets as 6-point road favorites for tonight’s matchup with a total of 212.5 points.
Denver Nuggets
- The Nuggets have recorded four consecutive wins over the Thunder in four consecutive. Denver won the first of this season’s four scheduled events and all three from the previous 2020-21 campaign.
- Denver enters tonight’s game at The Bay in OKC on four days’ rest.
- Jokic averages 26.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game.
- The absence of Michael Porter Jr. to injury has turned rebounding into a negative statistical category. After ranking 13th last season in team rebounding, the Nuggets rank 29th in that folder this year.
- Rookie guard Bones Hyland averages 9.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 16 minutes of play per game.
Expected starting lineup for Denver
PG Monte Morris
SG Will Barton
SF Aaron Gordon
PF Jeff Green
C Nikola Jokic
Oklahoma City Thunder
- On Monday night, the Thunder orchestrated their sixth comeback of the season of 15 or more points in their win over Memphis. That sixth come-from-behind win is the most of any team in the league.
- Thunder reserves have increased their point production per game in December. Five different OKC bench contributors have scored ten or more points over the last seven games.
- Thunder rookie Josh Giddey dished out career-high 11 assists while posting a career-high-tying 19 points.
Expected starting lineup for OKC:
PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG Lugentz Dort
SF Josh Giddey
PF Darius Bazley
C Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Injury Report
Denver Nuggets
F A. Gordon (hamstring) is probable.
F J. Green (hamstring) is questionable.
F Bol Bol (COVID-19 health and safety protocol) has been ruled out.
G M. Howard (knee) is out.
G J. Murray (knee) is out.
Oklahoma City Thunder
G Tre Mann (toe) is questionable.
C M. Muscala (rest) is out.
Oklahoma City continues to be undervalued, which isn’t any more evident than in tonight’s handicap. So the WagerTalk pick to click is a play on the home underdog Thunder plus the points.
Wednesday on WagerTalk TV:
☕12pm ET: WagerTalk Today
🏀1:45pm ET: NCAAB Tip-Off
🏈3:15pm ET: Best Damn College Football Show
🏀4:15pm ET: NBA Tip-Off
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💰Evening: Bet On It
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Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Preview from GoldSheet
Denver had its last game cancelled due to the Covid outbreak on the Brooklyn Nets, but this is the rare game that matches a pair of teams that have largely avoided the virus. The Nuggets not playing badly, winning and covering 3 of last 4, but the dominant trend for Michael Malone’s side lately is the “over” tendency, which has paid off 6 straight and is 15-2 in the last 17 Denver games. Nuggets have handled Oklahoma City for the past 4 years, winning 13-2 SU and vs. the points against the Thunder since late in the 2016-17 season.
Wednesday’s NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Click here to download Wednesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of guests for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets clash, from a betting perspective.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Wednesday’s NBA games, including this Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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