A star-studded Round 2 matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder kicks off on Monday.
The pregame narrative: The Oklahoma City Thunder have dismantled teams all season and are well-rested after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round. Denver, meanwhile, is a heavy series underdog following a gruelling seven-game battle against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Check out my Nuggets vs. Thunder SGP predictions on May 5, featuring Russell Westbrook and Jalen Williams.
Nuggets vs. Thunder predictions
Parlay: Nuggets +15.5 | Westbrook over 8.5 rebounds and assists | Williams 5+ assists (+360)
Nuggets +15.5 (-250): OKC has been the best team in the league all season — full stop.
It won a league-best 68 games and posted a +12.7 net rating, which was the second-highest all-time behind the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
That said, I can get behind giving the Nuggets this many points in the series opener. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the expected MVP, but Nikola Jokic is still the best player on the planet.
Jokic flashed his superhuman powers repeatedly against the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging a 24-point triple-double across seven games.
Denver covered this number in six of those matchups, as well as 15 of its last 16 since the regular season.
The Nuggets are also 3-1 against this line vs. OKC this season.
NBA SGP legs
Westbrook over 8.5 rebounds and assists (-114): Westbrook built his legacy in Oklahoma City and now has a chance to stick it to his former team as a member of Denver’s supporting cast.
The high-flying point guard isn’t averaging triple-doubles anymore, but he still put up a respectable 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game this season.
Westbrook went 3-2 against this line in the opening round (excluding Game 3 where he left with an injury), logging double-digit rebounds/assists in Games 6 and 7.
But I’m most bullish on this play because of Westbrook’s success against OKC this year:
- 6.8 RPG
- 5.8 APG
- 10+ R/A in all four games
Williams 5+ assists (-159): Williams was dynamite against the Grizzlies in Round 1, averaging 23.3 PPG on 54.2% shooting.
He also chipped in with 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, cashing this milestone bet in each contest. Williams can do it all and has a favourable matchup to excel as a passer this series.
Denver allowed the third-most assists per game during the regular season (28.8) and the fourth-most assists per game specifically to small forwards, per Fantasy Pros.
Williams has hit this mark in four of his last five games against the Nuggets, logging eight-plus assists three times.
Nuggets vs. Thunder predictions made at 1:00 p.m. ET 05/05/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.