The Western Conference NBA Playoff semi-final second round series between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder shifts to the Ball Arena for Game 3 this weekend.
Following an unexpected 121-119 home loss in the first match, OKC bounced back with a commanding victory in Game 2 on Thursday to level the series 1-1 heading to Colorado.
Match preview
© Imago
After a physically and emotionally draining first-round series against the LA Clippers, the Denver Nuggets stunned the Thunder in Game 1, with Aaron Gordon scoring the winning points for a second time in the Playoffs.
However, with the team not having the sort of depth as others, the lack of rest between games in the postseason caught up with Denver in the last match, when they were handed a crushing 149-106 defeat.
Following a monstrous 42-point, 22-rebound, six-assist, and two-block performance in the series opener, Nikola Jokic came nowhere close to that in Game 2, managing just 17 points on six of 16 shooting, along with eight rebounds and six assists.
Gordon and Jamal Murray were also kept quiet and ended with 10 and 14 points, respectively, though the one positive for the Nuggets was the performance of Russell Westbrook, who had another impressive outing off the bench with 19 points and five assists in 22 minutes.
A major concern for the Nuggets will be the performance of Michael Porter Jr., who is averaging just five PPG this series at a 16.7% shot conversion, and has been reported to be struggling with a shoulder issue in recent days.
© Imago
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder needed a big response after squandering an 11-point lead in Game 1 to lose at the buzzer, and they certainly got it on Thursday, giving them the momentum heading into this match.
OKC drained an incredible 87 points over the first two quarters, which equalled the NBA record for the most points in the first half of a Playoff game set by Milwaukee way back in 1978, and put them up by 31 by the interval.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was once again the star of the match, putting up 34 points, four rebounds and eight assists on 11 of 13 shooting from the field and a perfect 11 from 11 at the free-throw line.
However, SGA received excellent backup from the players around him, with seven of his teammates ending the match in double-digits, including all four other starters, which showed the depth this team possesses.
It was not just on offence that Mark Daigneault's team excelled, though, as they were also rock solid on defence, forcing a massive 20 turnovers, with Jaylin Williams stepping up as an unexpected colossus against the Joker.
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
Team News
© Imago
The Nuggets have just one player listed on their injury report heading into this match in DaRon Holmes II, who tore his Achilles during the regular season and will play no part in the postseason.
Despite picking up a shoulder injury in the first round of the competition, Porter Jr. is not listed as a doubt for this match, but Denver will need him to improve on his two for 10 shooting in Game 2 to regain the lead in the series.
OKC are also missing just one player for this match in the form of their young point guard Nikola Topic due to a knee injury, which has kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the season.
After a big performance in Game 1, Alex Caruso played just 10 minutes on Thursday and could return to the starting five this weekend, potentially in place of centre Isaiah Hartenstein.
Denver Nuggets possible starting five:
Gordon, Porter Jr, Jokic, Murray, Westbrook
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting five:
Holmgren, Williams, Caruso, Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort
We say: Oklahoma City Thunder to win by 3+ points
The long layoff between the first and second rounds did not seem to help the Thunder in Game 1 of this series, but they looked back to their best in Game 2, and we feel they will be able to take a 2-1 lead this weekend.
Devesh Jaganath
