Jayson Tatum is set to return less than ten months after his Achilles injury giving the Celtics a major boost as they face the Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum looks to make a fast return from his Achilles injury as the Celtics prepare for all star’s return vs Mavericks.
The last time these two teams faced off, there were fireworks.
Not only are the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets among the best teams in the NBA, they also don’t particularly like each other.
Just 10 days ago, during an eventual 127-121 Oklahoma City victory in overtime, Thunder guard Luguentz Dort tripped Nikola Jokić, causing the Nuggets star to confront Dort in a brief on-court altercation. Dort was ejected after he was called for a flagrant 2 foul, and he said later that he regretted the play.
Tensions could remain high, as the Thunder try to keep their hold on the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. It also presents another chance for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to chase history. If Gilgeous-Alexander scores at least 20 points, he will tie Wilt Chamberlain for the all-time record for consecutive games with 20 or more points scored, with 126.
Scroll below for the latest updates and analysis from tonight’s clash between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder:
The Nuggets have played just 12 games with this starting lineup, the team’s preferred unit. Early in the third quarter, Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson appeared to suffer an injury, possibly to his hand. Johnson was in obvious discomfort and appeared to be favoring his hand. He ran toward the locker room and stopped in the tunnel, as trainers came over to tend to him.
The Oklahoma City Thunder changed the course of this game, but the Nuggets answered back.
A 20-4 OKC run in the second quarter opened up a decent lead on Denver, but the shooting of Tim Hardaway Jr. helped stabilize things for the Nuggets, who mounted a 10-0 run late in the period to close the deficit. Hardaway went 3-of-4 in the quarter and has 16 points.
Still, Oklahoma City outscored the Nuggets by nine points in the period.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads all Thunder players with 17 points, leaving him three short of 20 points, which would tie him with Hall of Fame icon Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive games in NBA history (126) with 20 or more points scored.
The Thunder have looked to push pace and get Denver in transition. Given that starters Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are all out, OKC has used the defensive attention against the Nuggets; multiple times in the first half, after he drove, Denver collapsed on him and he found open Thunder players in the corners. Gilgeous-Alexander leads all players with 7 assists.
The Thunder are shooting 51% from the floor, compared to 45.5% for Denver, which is led by Aaron Gordon’s 21 points.
Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokić had a fairly quiet half on offense. Though he has 9 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Jokić attempted just 6 field goals before intermission.
In his first game back since Jan. 21, Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell has been huge off the bench. Mitchell has been aggressive in looking for his shot and has a team-high 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting in a little more than 13 minutes on the floor.
Mitchell had been sidelined with a strained abdominal muscle and ankle injuries, but, now that the Thunder are facing other injuries, Mitchell’s production is huge for the Thunder.
In his return after more than a month out, Aaron Gordon scored just 3 points Friday, March 6.
In the first quarter Monday against the Thunder, Gordon went on an absolute heat check, scoring 13 consecutive at one point for the Nuggets, who opened a small lead against the short-handed Thunder. Gordon leads all players with 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the period.
Oklahoma City fell into a 13-point deficit midway through the period, as it struggled to connect from shots beyond the arc. The Thunder went just 4-of-12 (33.3%) from 3-point range.
But Oklahoma City launched a 16-3 run late in the first quarter to close the margin and get back in the game.
The Thunder are without Jalen Williams (right hamstring strain), Chet Holmgren (flu) and Isaiah Hartenstein (left calf contusion), which has led to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taking on a larger role in the offense. He leads all Oklahoma City players with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting; SGA is just 9 points away from tying Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record of consecutive games with at least 20 points, at 126.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, looking to tie Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record for consecutive games with at least 20 points, got started early, lacing his first two jumpers. But with the Thunder missing their two starting bigs, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, Denver is attacking Oklahoma City down low.
Gilgeous-Alexander already has 5 points, as the Nuggets have opened a 17-8 lead behind Aaron Gordon’s red-hot shooting; Gordon has Denver’s last 13 points.
Denver Nuggets
- Jamal Murray
- Christian Braun
- Cameron Johnson
- Aaron Gordon
- Nikola Jokić
Oklahoma City Thunder
In the latest injury report, the Thunder have ruled Chet Holmgren (flu) out of the game.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Isaiah Joe
- Cason Wallace
- Luguentz Dort
- Jaylin Williams
How to watch Nuggets vs. Thunder: TV channel, live stream
- Date: Monday, March 9
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. local)
- Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City)
- TV channel: NBC Sports Network
- Live stream: Peacock, Sling
Nuggets vs. Thunder injury report
Denver Nuggets
- DaRon Holmes II, out (G League)
- Curtis Jones, out (G League – two-way)
- Jamal Murray, questionable (left ankle sprain)
- KJ Simpson, out (G League – two-way)
- Peyton Watson, out (right hamstring strain)
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Branden Carlson, out (lower back strain)
- Alex Caruso, out (left hip contusion)
- Isaiah Hartenstein, out (left calf contusion)
- Chet Holmgren, out (flu)
- Thomas Sorber, out (right ACL)
- Jalen Williams, out (right hamstring strain)
Nuggets vs. Thunder odds
Odds according to BetMGM as of Monday, March 9.
- Spread: Thunder by 6.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 232.5 (O; -115)
- Moneyline: Thunder -1275, Nuggets +220
