The Denver Nuggets will be aiming to continue their recent resurgence with a third straight victory when the Oklahoma City Thunder come visiting the Ball Arena on Thursday morning.
For the away side, an eighth win on the bounce will be the major target as they look to continue a blistering start to the campaign and lay down their title credentials early on.
Match preview
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After suffering consecutive defeats against the Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers to start their regular-season journey, the Denver Nuggets have since turned a corner, winning four of their subsequent five matches.
Michael Malone's men claimed victories over the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets but fell to a 119-116 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves before seeing off the threat of the Utah Jazz and, most recently, the Raptors thanks to a 121-119 triumph on Thursday.
Racking up his third triple-double of the season already, Nikola Jokic was the point of difference for the Nuggets for the umpteenth time as he notched 28 points to go along with 14 points and 13 assists—all team-highs—on 10-22 shooting in his 38 minutes on the court.
Jokic's heroics have led his side back on the right path once again, as the Nuggets' 4-3 record after seven matches currently has them ninth in the Western Conference, albeit with only three teams in the division posting a better record so far.
The 2023 NBA champions will now prepare for what is set to be arguably their toughest assignment so far as the Thunder come into town for the second time in just under two weeks after the sides met in their respective season openers.
Thursday's hosts were on the receiving end of a humiliating 102-87 defeat on that occasion and now go in search of early revenge in a rematch of the top two sides in the West last season, who both recorded 57 wins and 25 defeats.
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Off the back of finishing top of the Western Conference with the second-youngest team (only behind the San Antonio Spurs), the Oklahoma City Thunder put the whole league on alert before their second-round playoff exit against the Dallas Mavericks.
Many doubted if Mark Daigneault's men could replicate their impressive form from last season, but the early signs suggest they are well on course to perform even better this time around after seven straight wins to kick off proceedings.
This is the best start in franchise history for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are breezing past teams convincingly, having won all of their matches by a double-digit margin after Thursday's 102-86 demolition of the Orlando Magic.
Last season's MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had one of his lowest scoring games this season last time out, tallying 21 points, although he was only two shy of Jalen Williams after the 23-year-old cooled down in the second half and failed to keep up his hot hand from the first two quarters, where he racked up a whopping 19 points.
Following yet another defensive masterclass in their most recent encounter, the Thunder have now held opponents to less than 100 points in five of their seven matches so far at an average of 95.9 points allowed per game, which is almost nine points better off the Golden State Warriors in second.
Alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Thunder are one of two teams still with a perfect record and will be keen to get the job done on the road for the fifth time this season before returning to the PayCom Center for six straight home matches.
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Team News
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Twenty-two-year-old DaRon Holmes II remains indefinitely unavailable for the Denver Nuggets after suffering a right Achilles tendon injury during the NBA Summer League.
Vlatko Cancar (ankle) missed his side's last outing, while Aaron Gordon lasted just four minutes as he had to come off with a calf problem, making him doubtful for this one.
Point guard Jamal Murray could make his return to action for the home side here after sitting out the defeat to the Toronto Raptors due to a concussion protocol.
OKC draft pick Nikola Topic will miss the entirety of what was supposed to be his rookie campaign having recently undergone a left anterior cruciate ligament procedure.
Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) will have to wait a little longer for his competitive debut with his new employers and is joined on the sidelines by Jaylin Williams (hamstring).
Kenrich Williams has not featured since May due to a knee problem, but there is a decent chance the 29-year-old will be passed fit to make his season bow against the Nuggets.
Denver Nuggets possible starting five:
Murray, Braun; Watson, Porter Jr.; Jokic
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting five:
Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace; Dort, Williams; Holmgren
We say: Thunder to win by 5+ points
The Thunder have flown out of the blocks so far and will certainly take some stopping against a Nuggets side who have major injury concerns ahead of Thursday's meeting.
We are backing the away side to come out on top, albeit by a single-digit margin this time around.
Adepoju Marvellous
