The Matchup: Denver Nuggets (1-1) at Oklahoma City Thunder (2-0)
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena
Time: Sunday, November 1 at 5 p.m. CT
How to Watch: Altitude
Betting Line (per Bovada): Oklahoma City by 13.5
Projected Starting Lineups:
Denver: PG Emmanuel Mudiay, SG Gary Harris, SF Danilo Gallinari, PF Kenneth Faried, C Joffrey Lauvergne
Oklahoma City: PG Russell Westbrook, SG Andre Roberson, SF Kevin Durant, PF Serge Ibaka, C Steven Adams
The last time the Nuggets played a Western Conference contender on the road, they won going away. On Wednesday, Denver went into Houston and dominated the Rockets 105-85.
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Can they do the same Sunday against the Thunder? We’ll see, but it’ll be extremely tough.
Oklahoma City Thunder has the best one-two punch in the NBA with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They’ve combined for an average of 73 points per game (!) in the team’s first two contests, although one of those was Friday’s intense double-overtime victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Nuggets’ two biggest priorities for Sunday, obviously, will be to contain both Durant and Westbrook from exploding offensively.
For Denver, Wilson Chandler would’ve been a decent defender for the 6’9″ Slim Reaper, but he’s still nursing a hip strain. Instead, we’ll probably see a mixture of Danilo Gallinari, Gary Harris and Will Barton on Durant. Mudiay, meanwhile, will likely have a full plate trying to contain Westbrook, a point guard who’s even more violently explosive than he is. Whoever defends Andre Roberson will have to give plenty of help on Durant and Westbrook, although when Anthony Morrow subs in, Denver will have to respect his three-point shooting ability.
Oklahoma City may seem like an offensive-minded team, but they’re actually pretty balanced. Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams and Roberson are three defensive-minded starters who will be aggressive and create several blocked shots and steals.
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Like it will be for most games this season, Denver’s priority on the offensive end should be to handle the ball cleanly and make smart, crisp passes. Oklahoma City is long, athletic and gets buckets transition with ease, so limiting those opportunities will be key. Another 21-turnover game for the Nuggets, like they had against the Rockets, will not fly.
Also on that end, Denver would also be wise to lean heavily on Mudiay and Gallinari. They’ll likely be guarded by Westbrook and Durant, respectively, and if they can make the superstars work hard on defense, the energy they’ll have for the offensive end will be compromised.
Harris did a fantastic job on James Harden in the Rockets Wednesday night, but his 6’4″ size and good-not-great athleticism don’t lend well to smothering either Durant or Westbrook. Also, with two superstars, Oklahoma City should be fine even if one of them is off his game.
The Nuggets should be eager to rebound from a terrible offensive showing against the Minnesota Timberwolves from Friday, but they’ve run into the wrong team in the wrong arena. The Thunder have won 77.8 percent of their home games since the beginning of the 2010-11 season, and the Nuggets have won just 40.4 percent of their road games in that span, which includes three playoff years.
I hate to predict another blowout loss for Denver, but there’s no shame in a young, rebuilding squad falling to one of the NBA’s best teams on the road.
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Prediction: Thunder 113, Nuggets 94