Who's Playing

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets

Current Records: Oklahoma City 20-9, Denver 23-10

How To Watch

  • When: Friday, December 29, 2023 at 9 p.m. ET
  • Where: Ball Arena -- Denver, Colorado
  • TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
  • Ticket Cost: $63.23

What to Know

The Thunder have enjoyed a five-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will wrap up 2023 with a road trip to face off against the Denver Nuggets at 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Ball Arena. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Wednesday, Oklahoma City earned a 129-120 win over New York. 129 seems to be a good number for the Thunder as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.

The Thunder got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out in front who scored 36 points along with eight assists and seven rebounds. The matchup was Gilgeous-Alexander's fifth in a row with at least 30 points. Another player making a difference was Jalen Williams, who scored 36 points.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 142-105 victory over Memphis at home. The win was nothing new for the Nuggets as they're now sitting on six straight.

The Nuggets can attribute much of their success to Jamal Murray, who scored 23 points along with nine assists, and Nikola Jokic, who dropped a triple-double on 26 points, 14 rebounds, and ten assists. Jokic is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last five games he's played.

Oklahoma City is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 20-9 record this season. As for Denver, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-10.

Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: The Thunder just can't miss this season, having made 49.9% of their shots per game (they're ranked third in field goal percentage per game overall). However, it's not like the Nuggets (currently ranked fourth in field goal percentage per game) struggle in that department as they've made 49.3% of their shots per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

While fans of the Nuggets and the Thunder were happy after their last outing, their bettors probably weren't as neither team covered. Looking ahead, the Nuggets are expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. This contest will be their 12th straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 7-4 against the spread).

Odds

Denver is a 3-point favorite against Oklahoma City, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 3.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 234 points.

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Series History

Denver has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Oklahoma City.

  • Dec 16, 2023 - Oklahoma City 118 vs. Denver 117
  • Oct 29, 2023 - Denver 128 vs. Oklahoma City 95
  • Jan 22, 2023 - Oklahoma City 101 vs. Denver 99
  • Nov 23, 2022 - Denver 131 vs. Oklahoma City 126
  • Nov 03, 2022 - Denver 122 vs. Oklahoma City 110
  • Oct 22, 2022 - Denver 122 vs. Oklahoma City 117
  • Mar 26, 2022 - Denver 113 vs. Oklahoma City 107
  • Mar 02, 2022 - Oklahoma City 119 vs. Denver 107
  • Jan 09, 2022 - Denver 99 vs. Oklahoma City 95
  • Dec 22, 2021 - Oklahoma City 108 vs. Denver 94