Oklahoma City Thunder (64-16, first in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (52-28, third in the Western Conference)
Denver; Friday, 9 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City seeks to keep its seven-game win streak alive when the Thunder take on Denver.
The Nuggets are 10-5 in division matchups. Denver is 23-20 against opponents with a winning record.
The Thunder are 41-9 in Western Conference play. Oklahoma City ranks third in the NBA with 34.7 defensive rebounds per game led by Chet Holmgren averaging 7.0.
The Nuggets’ 14.1 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.1 fewer made shots on average than the 14.2 per game the Thunder give up. The Thunder average 13.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.2 more makes per game than the Nuggets allow.
The teams meet for the fourth time this season. The Thunder won 129-126 in the last meeting on March 9. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 35 points, and Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 32 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jokic is averaging 27.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.9 assists for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray is averaging 27.6 points over the last 10 games.
Cason Wallace is scoring 8.6 points per game and averaging 3.1 rebounds for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.0 points and 3.3 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 10-0, averaging 130.6 points, 45.9 rebounds, 33.1 assists, 6.0 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 52.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.9 points per game.
Thunder: 9-1, averaging 125.6 points, 46.3 rebounds, 27.9 assists, 9.1 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.0 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Peyton Watson: out (hamstring), Spencer Jones: out (hamstring).
Thunder: Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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