Oklahoma City’s losing woes show no sign of ending as the Thunder crashed to their third consecutive defeat with a stinging 116-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings. The Thunder simply had no answer for Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins who scored a game-high 36 points and grabbed 13 boards. It was another disappointing result for the Thunder who have now lost seven of their last nine games.
The Thunder will look to end their losing rut when they face the Denver Nuggets later tonight. For Oklahoma City to grab the much-needed victory, it needs to improve on its play on the defensive end. In their last three losses, opponents have scored an average of 114 points. Another thing that’s concerning head coach Billy Donovan at the moment is his team’s alarming away form. The Thunder are just 2-4 on their travels this season.
With regards to their offense, the Thunder are expected to ride the hot hand of Russell Westbrook tonight. The do-it-all guard is nearly averaging a triple-double this season, posting 31.8 points, 10.6 assists and 9.6 rebounds a game this campaign. Westbrook scored 31 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out nine assists in the loss to the Kings. He will be licking his chops at the prospect of facing a Denver defense that’s allowing 107.0 points per game this season, sixth-worst in the NBA. Westbrook averaged 21.3 points, 11.3 assists and 9.3 rebounds in four meetings with the Nuggets last season.
The Thunder are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games. They are pegged at +6,000to capture the NBA title this season.
The Denver Nuggets had their two-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday with a humiliating 108-83 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The Nuggets had difficulty stopping the returning George Hill who erupted for 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. They will look to get their season back on track when they host the Thunder later this evening. The Nuggets are winless in their last six meetings with OKC.
Denver’s chances of grabbing the victory tonight will hinge on the availability of Danilo Gallinari. The Nuggets’ second-leading scorer missed out on Wednesday’s loss to Utah with a right thigh injury and is questionable for this evening’s ballgame. If he does miss Friday’s match against Oklahoma City, however, Wilson Chandler and Will Barton stand to pick up some additional minutes on the wing for the Nuggets. They are averaging 16.7 and 12.0 points per game respectively this season.
Another guy who needs to step up for Denver is Jamal Murray. The rookie is averaging 21.7 points over his last three games, giving the Nuggets a timely boost off the bench. Murray scored 23 points in a losing effort against the Pacers on Wednesday.
The Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games. They are pegged at +30,000to win the NBA title this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Thunder finally snap their three-game losing skid with a 114-105 win over the Nuggets.
