Oklahoma City Thunder from the Western Conference (68-14) will face the Denver Nuggets from the fourth seeded (50-32) in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The two franchises have not gathered in the playoffs since the first round in 2011, when the Kevin Thunder Durant did a quick job on the nuggets.
What we know of Oklahoma City
The Thunder was incredible all season, submitting the second best net note (12.8) in the history of the NBA and becoming the seventh team to have won 68 games during the regular season. Four of the other six teams to do so – won the championship during the same season. The other two won a title in a year. It is therefore logical that Oklahoma City is the favorite of betting to win the crown of this year, by Betmgm.
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They are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is also the favorite to win the NBA MVP NBA prize for this year. He finished second behind the Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić last season. Gilgeous-Alexander has nothing to do with Jokić. He is a thin 6 -foot -6 -inch leader who makes his way in any crevasse in an opposite defense. He can mark anywhere, including the free throw line, where he arrives more often than anyone. The statistics of Gilgeous -Aalexander – 32.7 points (out of 52/38/90, 6.4 assists and five rebounds per game – have made its most productive season of all the guards since Michael Jordan.
SGA is associated with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, a pair of rising comrades. Both are double -meaning threats in their own way. Williams is a wing that creates for itself, also marking at all levels, and defends the five positions. Holmgren, on the other hand, is a rim edge of 7-1, 215 pounds and a protector who can space the ground at a range of 3 points. Together, they could be the most talented young trio in the league.
They could also be the deepest team in the NBA. Isaiah Hartenstein unlocks a devastating double-two-piece range. Lu sleeps, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso are defensive bulldogs on the perimeter. Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, the ground. There are combinations of unlimited programs for head coach Mark Daigneault.
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Daigneault took 13 years in his first round series against Memphis' grizzly greeks, although some of them have had a lot of time. The Thunder has pelled grizzleas, output them with 78 points on a balayage of four games. SGA, Williams and Holmgren were sensational in the series, just like everyone in rotation. It was the perfect encapsulation of this team that plays so well together.
What we know about Denver
The NBA champions in 2023 were solid, recording 50 victories for a third consecutive season. The exceptional performance of Jokić – a MVP quarter which is widely considered to be the best player in the world – masked what was trends concerning, especially in defense, where the nuggets ranked 21st.
Jokić can compensate for a lot. He collected on average 29.6 points (out of 58/42/80 of shooting), 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.8 interceptions per match during the regular season, ranking the first three of the NBA in each category. He sees the game better than anyone, manipulating the defenses with his brute force in painting, his finesse on a funny but effective outdoor shot or his ability to find an open man at any place on the ground.
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Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun – 10.6 points per 100 possessions.
Murray is a dynamic playmaker whose health always remains a concern. He and Jokić form one of the combinations of two most dangerous men of the game. Gordon is an extraordinary powerful and athletic striker who has improved his shooting. And Porter is a 6-10 elite shooter whose shoulder without underwear is another health problem. Together, these are the remains of a league nucleus.
Depth is a problem. The unique MVP Russell Westbrook is their sixth man. His effort is as consistent as his performance is incoherent. Beyond him, no more question points. Peyton Watson is the only young plays from Denver who could be trusted for more than six minutes per match in the first round.
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And this series in the first round against the Clippers of Los Angeles was not a joke. The clippers were much deeper and probably more talented, even if Jokić was the best player in the seven game set. The Nuggets needed everything from Jokić, plus a 43 -point Murray match and a collective effort at home in match 7 to move forward.
This effort came on behalf of the acting head coach David Adelman. The Nuggets have dismissed the longtime head coach Michael Malone with three games to play in the regular season. Malone did not trust Denver's youth, based strongly on his rotation of six men, and his defense did not behave in his standard. It was better under Adelman against the Clippers, although the underlying problems remain a concern against the Thunder.
Tête-à-tête
The Thunder and Nuggets equaled its regular season series, 2-2.
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They divided a pair in the first 10 games of the season and did the same in consecutive nights in March. The two teams were relatively healthy for the four meetings, although Denver lacked both Murray and Gordon when the Nuggets beat Oklahoma City on November 6, 124-122, thanks to the 29 points of Westbrook.
March meetings were sort of a MVP bowl. The two main candidates of the League were spectacular against each other. Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 40 points, eight rebounds and five assists during a 127-103 victory in one night, and Jokić abandoned a 35-18-8 in a 140-127 victory the following night. The MVP conversation was seen with them, and none of the candidates boasted of the rights to boast of the other.
Denver – Jokić, Murray, Gordon, Porter and Braun's departure program – has ahead of the Thunder of 15.2 points for 100 possessions over 31 minutes. It is encouraging. The bench, however, was not. This will be worth monitoring all series: can nuggets survive any of their minutes without Jokić on the ground?
Conversely, the Double-Big range of OKC, starring Holmgren and Hartenstein alongside SGA, Williams and Dort, dominated Denver of 34.8 points for 100 possessions in 24 minutes. Expect to see a lot of this, because the smallest thunder tries to limit the impact of Jokić. Neither Holmgren nor Hartenstein can keep it alone.
Match to watch
Nikola Jokić vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The two will not defend themselves, but go: these are the two main candidates of the NBA MVP, and they will face each other in the playoffs. This has not happened since James Harden and Russell Westbrook met as two main MVP candidates in the first round of the 2017 qualifiers. (Harden won this set, 4-1.)
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The Nuggets were -6 in the 156 minutes of Jokić against the Thunder this season. They were -18 in his 36 minutes on the bench. On the other hand, Oklahoma City was +4 in the 147 minutes of Gilgeous-Alexander against Denver this season and +20 in his 45 minutes on the ground. This tells us that it should be close when these two are tangled on the ground, which should be more than 40 minutes per night. It's very fun.
It will be a good test of the value of each candidate. Neither of the two teams has someone to keep the best player in the other. Jokić will make his way to the edge. SGA will size there. The two will produce a lot.
If Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander are as incredible as we expect them to be, the real difference in this series could be summed up with their respective acolytes, Murray and Williams. Murray was a god in the playoffs over the past years, but not as much as the Nuggets would recently wish. Williams is 24 years old and is only here in a second round series before. His youth will be tested as much as Murray's inconsistency.
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Oklahoma City Thunder
Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Holmgren and Dort are pillars of the Oklahoma City fence range. This quartet finished the regular season of +13.5 points with 100 non-aging possessions, By cleaning the glass.
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Daigneault went with Caruso as a fifth option – and a third goalkeeper – against the grizzly ones in the first round, at least in the few minutes of clutch in the series. Going smaller is not always a good idea against Jokić and Gordon, who can both punish inside. Expect a little Hartenstein in place of Caruso, only if Denver's size becomes a problem. Hartenstein and Holmgren also exceeded opponents of 13.5 significant possessions during the regular season. Essentially, Daigneault is not lacking in weapons.
Denver Nuggets
Jokić, Murray, Gordon and Braun will be on the ground when the matches are tight in the fourth quarter, unless something is wrong. What we know. They were a sacred quartet during the regular season, upgrading the opponents of 15.5 points by 100 significant possessions, Depending on the glass cleaning.
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Against clippers, Adelman has more often trusted Westbrook on Porter for fifth place, which surely had more to do with the shoulder injury to wear than Westbrook's more stable hand. The minutes to wear with the other four runners of Crunch Time were much more effective against the Thunder during the regular season.
Prediction: thunder in six
Jokić can only wear such a heavy burden. The production of Gilgeous-Alexander will attend a large part of the domination of Jokić, and the depth of the Thunder will carry the day, tiring the nuggets during a set of best seven. But not before the punctual champions steal some victories against a large list of all time.
Paris Ribs in series
(Via betmgm))
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Oklahoma City Thunder: -800
Denver Nuggets: +550
Series schedule (all time is)
Game 1: Monday @ Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m., TNT)
Game 2: Mer., May 7 @ Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m., TNT)
Game 3: Fri, May 9 @ denver (10 p.m., ESPN)
Game 4: Sun, May 11 @ denver (3.30 p.m., ABC)
* Game 5: Mar., May 13 @ Oklahoma City (TBD, TNT)
* Game 6: Thu., May 15 @ denver (TBD, ESPN)
* Game 7: Sun, May 18 @ Oklahoma City (TBD)
* If necessary
