Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, 1/22/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets

Date: Sunday, January 22, 2023

Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO

TV: Altitude

The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to Ball Arena on Sunday where they will meet the Denver Nuggets.

The Thunder stepped onto the hardwood against the Kings and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 118-113 in their last game. Oklahoma City finished having earned a 48.4% field goal percentage (45 of 93) and buried 16 of their 40 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Thunder converted 7 of their 11 shots for a rate of 63.6%. In reference to hauling in boards, they compiled 36 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 21 assists in this contest in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and earning 4 steals. With regard to defense, Oklahoma City allowed the other team to go 47.7% from the field on 41 out of 86 shooting. Sacramento recorded 25 assists and had 1 steal in this game. On top of that, Sacramento snagged 52 rebounds (12 offensive, 40 defensive), but didn't have a block. Sacramento finished shooting 85.7% from the free throw line by converting 24 of 28 shots. They buried 12 out of their 38 attempts from 3-point land. In the matter of fouls, the Thunder finished with 20 while the Kings totaled 17 fouls.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a player who was a major factor for the contest. Gilgeous-Alexander walked away from this one shooting 69.6% from the floor and also dished out 7 assists. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes played and totaled 1 rebound. He finished with 37 points on 16 of 23 shooting.

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Oklahoma City enters this matchup with a mark of 22-24 on the campaign. They are turning it over 13.9 times per contest and as a team they are committing 21.8 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Oklahoma City is pulling in 44.1 boards per game and is sitting with 1,129 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 15th in the league in terms of passing the rock. The Thunder are hitting 35.9% on shots from 3-point land (560 of 1,559) and 79.2% from the free throw line. They average 116.9 points per game (8th in the NBA) while shooting 46.7% from the field.

Defensively, the Thunder are forcing 17.0 turnovers every game while drawing 20.0 fouls. They surrender 35.4% on 3-pointers and they rank 20th in basketball in points per game allowed (115.9). The Thunder are allowing a field goal percentage of 46.3% (1,904 of 4,111) and they surrender 47.5 boards per game as a unit. They are 11th in the NBA in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,148 relinquished on the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Nuggets went home victorious with a score of 134-111 against the Pacers. In the matter of rebounding, Denver allowed Indiana to collect 39 in total (16 on the offensive glass). They went 25.0% from beyond the arc by hitting 8 out of 32 and ended up shooting 29 of 37 at the free throw line (78.4%). The Nuggets allowed the Pacers to bury 37 out of 84 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 44.0% for the matchup. Overall, the Nuggets finished 51 for 83 from the field which had them shooting 61.4%. With respect to shots from distance, Denver made 14 out of 28 tries (50.0%). They were able to convert 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 69.2%. The Pacers committed 18 fouls in this contest which took the Nuggets to the charity stripe for a total of 26 attempts. They turned the ball over 16 times, while getting 16 steals for this game. The Nuggets were able to collect 26 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 38 in this matchup.

Aaron Gordon ended up being a factor for the Nuggets for this game. Gordon earned 28 points in his 30 minutes on the court and had 6 assists in this game. He knocked down 11 of 15 for the matchup for a rate of 73.3%, and tallied 5 rebounds.

Denver has a record of 33-13 so far this year. The Nuggets are committing 19.4 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 74.9% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 28.9 times per game (2nd in basketball) and they turn it over 15.1 times per contest. Denver has tallied 5,411 pts so far this season (117.6 per game) and they collect 42.9 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Nuggets are connecting on 51.2% from the floor, which is 1st in the league.

The Nuggets on the defensive end are ranked 14th in the NBA in PPG surrendered with 113.1. They have forced 13.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.9% from the floor (23rd in basketball). The Denver defense allows 34.9% on 3-point shots (545 of 1,562) and their opposition knocks down 76.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 26.0 dimes and 40.0 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 25th and 1st in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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