Nuggets vs Thunder Betting Odds – Durant can’t do it on his own against Nuggets

Online betting players have been watching the Oklahoma City Thunder grow up before our eyes, but the talented and young team has hit a rough spot on the offensive end, leaving their star to do a lot. They’ll host a red-hot Denver team on Friday night, and unless the secondary scorers can raise their game, the slumping Thunder will be headed towards another loss.

The Storyline: Nuggets vs Thunder Betting Odds
The Nuggets (31-14) are the hottest team in the league with eight straight wins, and 11 wins in 13 games since the beginning of the new year, but they’re about to start playing more away from the Pepsi Center, where they’ve been nearly unbeatable. The Thunder (24-21) has dropped three in a row, and their offense, outside of Kevin Durant, is missing a spark.


Offensive Matchups: Nuggets vs Thunder Betting Odds
Wednesday’s 97-92 win in Houston was the first time in 10 games that the Nuggets have been held under 100 points, and the offense is powered by the duo of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. Anthony leads the league in scoring, and he missed the Houston game due to an ankle injury. But Billups is picking up the slack, pouring in 25.0 points in his last five outings.
Durant is third in the NBA in scoring, and you could make a case that this game will feature the league’s best pure scorers in Durant and Anthony. However, Durant hasn’t been getting much help from his teammates. Russell Westbrook is struggling badly, along with rookie James Harden. Jeff Green shows glimpses, but he’s not going to take over a game, which puts a ton of pressure on Durant.

Betting Edge: Nuggets


Defensive Matchups: Nuggets vs Thunder Betting Odds
The Nuggets aren’t as good defensively as they should be, and in particular, Chris Andersen isn’t having the impact off the bench that he had last year. Denver gambles a lot on defense, because they know they have the trio of Anderson, Nene and Kenyon Martin in the post, and as a result they’re third in the NBA in steals, but they also get beaten a lot.
The Thunder are fifth in points allowed, but they still don’t have a shotblocker that will scare teams from attacking the rim. They hit the boards as a team, and Westbrook is a very good perimeter defender for being so young. As much as they struggle on offense, Oklahoma City doesn’t take many possessions off on the other end of the floor.

Betting Edge: Thunder


Notable Injuries: Nuggets vs Thunder Betting Odds
Anthony’s (ankle) health is extremely important to the Nuggets’ sportsbook chances, and he should be ready to suit on Friday. Andersen (ankle) has also been hobbling lately.
Nenad Krstic (thumb), one of the Thunder’s best interior defenders, has his thumb wrapped and has had his minutes scaled back.

Betting Edge: Thunder


Betting Prediction: Nuggets vs Thunder Betting Odds
The Thunder should be favored at home, as the Nuggets are a shaky 10-11 away from the Pepsi Center. However, Denver has had their way with Oklahoma City lately, winning nine of their last 10 meetings with the Thunder, and nine of those 10 have gone over the posted total. The Thunder’s supporting cast need to step up around Durant, because he can’t carry them to a win over a team like Denver, especially with Anthony back in the lineup. 


Craig’s Pick: Denver

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