Preview: Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - prediction, team news, form guide

Denver Nuggets will be looking to forge Game 7 in the Western Conference semi-finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder when the two sides lock horns at Bell Arena on Thursday night.

The Thunder have overturned a one-game deficit twice in the series and now find themselves on the cusp of a first conference final appearance since the 2015-16 campaign.  

Match preview

© Imago

Having made just one of their first nine shots on Wednesday, the Denver Nuggets shook off a cold start to take an 11-point lead in the second quarter, before Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray helped to extend the advantage to 12 heading into the fourth.

However, Lu Dort knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers in a two-minute span to push the Thunder within two points of the visitors before Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both made 3-pointers in crunch time to power OKC to victory.

Jokic finished with a 44-point and 15-rebound double-double to cap off his best scoring display of the playoffs but the 31-year-old had little support on the frontcourt, with only Murray (28) hitting more than 13 points among seven other Nuggets players.

Having picked up two wins from the first three games of the series, David Adelman's men find themselves 3-2 down heading into Friday's must-win matchup after failing to make the most of their home advantage in a 92-87 defeat in Game 3 last weekend.

Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to find his shooting in the previous two matches but the Canadian guard was up to the task on Wednesday as he tallied 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds to fire Oklahoma City Thunder to a crucial Game 5 victory.

There was also a solid contribution across the board for OKC as six players finished in double figures, including Isaiah Hartenstein (15), Chet Holmgren (14) and 18 from 24-year-old Williams who was one rebound shy of his first double-double of the playoffs.

While the Thunder are the youngest team in the NBA this year, coach Mark Daigneault will be pleased with his side's playoff run, having stormed to top seed in the West with a 68-14 record from their 82 games in the regular season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder journey to Ball Arena on a run of six wins from their most recent seven games on the road, with their only defeat in that time coming on May 10, when they fell 113-104 in overtime against Denver.

Team News

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Denver Nuggets remain without 24-year-old forward Hunter Tyson, who has missed each of the last three matches since suffering an ankle sprain in Game 2 of the semi-finals.

DaRon Holmes has spent the entire campaign on the sidelines after suffering a severe Achilles injury in pre-season and the American center is also out of contention for the home side.

Like Denver, the Oklahoma City Thunder will also have to cope without Serbian guard Nikola Topic, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season through a severe knee problem.

Off the back of a 31-point display at the PayCom Center on Wednesday, Gilgeous-Alexander now sits second in the scoring charts among the eight sides left in the playoffs with 28.0 points per game, only behind Boston Celtic's Jayson Tatum (28.1).

Denver Nuggets possible starting 5:
Murray, Braun, Jokic, Gordon, Porter Jr

Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting 5:
Williams, Dort, Hartenstein, Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander

© PA Photos

We say: The Denver Nuggets to win by 5+ points.

It is now or never for the Denver Nuggets as they find themselves on the verge of a third consecutive playoff semi-final exit, having lost against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in the last two years.

Despite the defeat, Jokic finally found his jumper in a standout individual display, and while we expect Oklahoma City Thunder to try to close out the series here, we predict that the 31-year-old will spur Denver to a crucial victory.

Written by
Joshua Ojele

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