
The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder have the series lead against the Denver Nuggets for the first time. OKC is up 3-2 after a Game 5 win earlier this week. The Thunder will now try to knock Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets out of the NBA playoff bracket in Thursday’s Game 6. The Nuggets, playing at home, will try to reach their second Game 7 of these playoffs.
Game 5 was a thriller that saw the Thunder surge in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row. Jokić and MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander traded buckets down the stretch. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting and was one of six Thunder players in double figures in Game 5. Jokić had a game-best 44 points to go with 15 rebounds and five assists, but Denver was outscored by 15 points in the fourth quarter.
If the Thunder win Thursday, they move on to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals. OKC has not been to the conference finals since Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led them there in 2016. If the Nuggets manage to tie the series, they’ll head to a do-or-die Game 7 on Sunday. The Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers in a Game 7 in the first round.
Thunder vs. Nuggets: Game 6 info
Time: 8:30 p.m. | Date: Thursday, May 15
Location: Ball Arena — Denver
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Game 5 odds (via Caesars): Thunder -4.5, O/U 217
Series odds: Thunder -1250, Nuggets +750
Thunder vs. Nuggets Game 6 best bet
It’s been five games and Nikola Jokić still hasn’t had a game with more than six assists against the Oklahoma City Thunder. I told you to take the under on his assists for Game 5. But here’s the thing… he really should have more assists, despite Oklahoma City’s stellar defense. Jokić averaged 16.5 potential assists per game in the regular season. In this series, he’s down to only 14.8.
That’s a drop of 1.7 potential assists… but his assist average has nearly cut in half from 10.2 to 5.2. He’s creating the same shots that he always has. His teammates are just missing them. Maybe it’s foolish to bet on regression when his teammates have struggled this much, but the math is there, and the line has moved just far enough down for this to be the play. The Pick: Jokić Over 7.5 Assists
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