The last time the Denver Nuggets played the Oklahoma City Thunder, the grifting goon squad took Game 7 of the Western Conference semis in route to winning the 2025 NBA Championship.
What a difference an off-season makes.
The Nuggets come into their final preseason game in a dead heat with OKC as the odds-on-favorites to come out of the West thanks to a significant trade for Cam Johnson, a revamped bench with a legitimate(!) backup center for Jokic, and a hungry Jamal Murray and Christian Braun. The Nuggets 2026 championship run will again go through the wastelands of Oklahoma, a showdown that begins tonight-ish.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (3-1) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (3-2)
When: 6PM MDT
Where: Nowheresville, OK
How to watch/listen: Wherever NBA games are available with the exception of Altitude Sports, Altitude+, and Altitude Radio (probably)
Rival blog: OKC Thunder Wire
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Can the bench score against OKC’s generational defense?
May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (8) in the second quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
In case you’re just joining us, the Nuggets bench the last two seasons has been bad. Historically bad. But the last years were the last years. This year, the Nuggets come into the season with no less than four new rotation players including a pivotal piece during their previous championship run, Bruce Brown. Oklahoma City’s vaunted defense poses the best test yet for an unproven group that is still feeling its way toward something resembling cohesion, a project that will continue into the first month of the season.
But the new role players should have a puncher’s chance against OKC’s swarm of mauling defenders. Can Watson handle being a secondary ball handler with some sneaky playmaking ability? Will Big Val get what he wants against OKC’s smaller bench bigs? Can Cam, THJ, and Julian hit threes over aggressive close-outs? The Nuggets stars have already shown they can handle the Thunder’s best shot on the biggest stage. It’s time for the new bench to show flashes that they can do enough against the unit they will have to match to repeat 2023.
The thing to remember: The starters will probably sit
May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) watches the game from the bench in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
With this being the final preseason game and (fingers crossed) the Nuggets having a much luckier run-up than last year when DaRon blew out his Achilles before we even got to see his range in action, it’s unlikely the starters will play much, if at all, in this one. As much as we’re all itching to see the rematch now that we have a deep and healthy roster, more than a quarter from Jokic, Murray, and co. probably won’t happen.
That doesn’t mean the game won’t be worth a watch, though. The Nuggets still have continuity and flow to build, particularly with the new bench triad of Bruce, THJ, and Big Val. Pickett has had an uneven preseason but is looking to solidify his viability as the every-game backup point guard. And Strawther has one final chance to shoot and claw his way into contention for a significant rotation spot, though the odds seem stacked against that happening.
Speaking of odds …
The thing to bet: Buy gold? Certainly don’t bet on a dress rehearsal. Or if you do, don’t pay attention to the line because why would you? (And maybe don’t buy gold either, actually, because it’s already up like 1,000x this year.) NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE