Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets will get their playoff second-round matchup underway with a meeting at PayCom Center on Monday night.
The home side needed just four games to see off the Memphis Grizzlies in round one, while their visitors had to go the full length of seven games to edge out the Los Angeles Clippers.
Match preview
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After finishing the regular season with an NBA-best 68-14 record, the Oklahoma City Thunder headed into the playoffs as huge favourites to go all the way and were keen to make a huge statement in their opening playoff duel.
Mark Daigneault's men emphatically defeated the Grizzlies 131-80 to kick off their post-season journey with the biggest Game One victory in NBA playoff history, and there was only going to be one winner from that point.
The Thunder went on to win the subsequent three matches, including a stunning 29-point comeback in Game Three to complete a 4-0 sweep and give themselves some much-needed rest ahead of further tasks to come.
Most Valuable Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needed some time to get going, as he managed just 15 points in the opening clash before going on to tally a combined 96 across the remaining three matches.
As he prepares to go up against his closest competition in the MVP race Nikola Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander will be aiming to put on a show and lead his side to a first conference finals since 2016.
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In what was billed as potentially the most exciting series of the first round, the Nuggets and the Clippers served up a thrilling seven-game bout which ultimately ended with the Nuggets coming out on top.
David Adelman's men came out on top in Game One on home turf, but back-to-back defeats in the next two clashes saw them head into Game Four with the possibility of going 3-1 down before they went on to win Games four and five to hold a 3-2 advantage.
Falling to a 105-102 loss in Friday's Game Six at Intuit Dome, the Nuggets were unable to complete the job and returned to their home court for the first win-or-go-home matchup of the current playoffs in Sunday's Game Seven.
A back and fourth first quarter left the Nuggets with a five-point deficit to make up but a stunning 24-minute spell across the next two quarters put the 2023 champions up by 27 heading into the final stretch after which they emerged 120-101 victors.
With little turnover from a demanding first-round matchup, the Nuggets must now rally themselves for their second-round involvement to avoid crashing out at this stage for the second season running off the back of an exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves last time out.
Courtesy of a 140-127 triumph, Tuesday's visitors came out on top on their most recent trip to the hosts back in March to even the regular-season series at two wins apiece across four entertaining matchups.
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Team News
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Twenty-two-year-old DaRon Holmes II is the only injury casualty for the Denver Nuggets here as he remains unavailable with a long-term Achilles problem.
Setting a new Game Seven record last time out, with as many as six players scoring at least 15 points, the visitors will need the likes of Russell Westbrook to pick up where they left off.
Serbian Nikola Topic is unlikely to play any part for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season having suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury last year.
Forward Ousmane Dieng is yet to feature for the home side during the postseason due to a calf problem, and Monday's game is expected to come too soon for him.
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting 5:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort; Williams, Holmgren; Hartenstein
Denver Nuggets possible starting 5:
Murray, Braun; Porter Jr, Gordon; Jokic
We say: The Oklahoma City Thunder to win by 9+ points.
Thanks to their dominant first-round display, the Thunder have handed themselves a significant resting period and will be raring to go in their second-round opener on home turf.
We are backing the home side to come out on top when all is said and done.
Joshua Ojele
