The Saturday night showdown between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder represents a battle between two of the Western Conference's top teams.
Heading into the game, the Thunder find themselves in a three-way tie for the top overall seed in the conference (along with the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies) after winning eight of their past 10 games. The Nuggets enter the evening fifth in the standings in the conference, but just a half a game behind the top four teams. They have won two straight games and will be looking to extend that streak.
This will be the teams' first meeting of the '18-19 season. The Nuggets got the best of the Thunder last season as they won three of four meetings, though the season series was decided by just combined 13 points.
How to watch Nuggets at Thunder
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 24
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena -- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Streaming: fuboTV (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
- Live stats: GameTracker
- Odds: Thunder -5.5
Odds and analysis
Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.
Storylines
Thunder: After a very slow start to the season (0-4), the Thunder have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the past month, as they have won eight of 10 and shot all the way to the top of the standings in the Western Conference. They boast the league's second-best defense, and have been getting solid contributions from players other than Russell Westbrook and Paul George on the offensive end. Ultimately, the season will only be a success for the Thunder if they advance in the postseason, but the Nuggets will provide them with a test on Saturday night.
Nuggets: Denver has had an up-and-down season thus far. It's riding a two-game winning streak entering Saturday night, but prior to that streak, the Nuggets have lost six out of seven. Despite some inconsistencies, the Nuggets boast both a top-10 offense and defense, and look like a more formidable squad than the team that failed to make the playoffs last season.
Game prediction, pick
The line likes Oklahoma City in this one and so do I, largely due to the fact that the game is being played in Oklahoma City. The Thunder are 7-2 at home this season, while the Nuggets are just .500 (4-4) on the road. The Thunder's defense, combined with their home crowd, should be enough to pull out a win over the Nuggets.
