Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction 12-16-23 NBA Picks
Denver Nuggets (17-9) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (15-8)
2023-12-16 21:00:00 EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Denver Nuggets -5.5 -- Over/Under: 235
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The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to the Ball Arena to battle the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Here’s a Thunder vs Nuggets prediction.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been in decent shape as they’ve won four of their last six games overall, but they will be looking to bounce back in this one after falling short to the Kings in a 128-123 road loss on Thursday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 43 points, six rebounds and nine assists, Josh Giddey added 18 points with eight rebounds and four assists while Luguentz Dort chipped in with 17 points off the bench. As a team, the Thunder shot 43 percent from the field and 11 of 36 from the 3-point line as they were right in the contest, until the Kings went on a 25-12 run which started late in the third quarter.
Oklahoma City Thunder Team Facts
- The Thunder have won each of their last five games following a road loss.
- The Thunder have covered the spread in each of their last five games as road underdogs against the Nuggets.
- Five of the Thunder’s last six games have gone OVER the total points line.
Denver Nuggets
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have been in pretty good shape as they’ve won seven of their past 10 games and they will be eager to build on their current three-game win streak after blowing past the Nets in a 124-101 win on Thursday. Nikola Jokic led the team with a triple-double of 26 points with 15 rebounds and 10 assists, Peyton Watson added 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench while Jamal Murray chipped in with 16 points in just 22 minutes of action. As a team, the Nuggets shot 47 percent from the field and 12 of 36 from the 3-point line as they kept the Nets in check early, holding them to just 39 points in the first half before they exploded for 38 points in the third quarter to put the game to bed early and rest their starters.
Denver Nuggets Team Facts
- The Nuggets have won each of their last 24 home games against Western Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- The road team has covered the spread in each of the last seven games between the Thunder and Nuggets.
- Nine of the Nuggets’ last 10 games against the Thunder following a home win have gone UNDER the total points line.
Thunder vs Nuggets prediction
The Thunder were playing some great basketball before they got stopped in their tracks by the Kings on Thursday despite 43 points from Gilgeous-Alexander. The Nuggets are starting to heat up again and they made light work of the in-form Nets on Thursday thanks to another triple-double from Nikola Jokic. These two teams met at the start of the season and it was the Nuggets who romped to a 128-95 win. I don’t think it will be such a blowout this time, but I’m still going with the Nuggets to get the win at home where they have won 10 of their first 11 games.