- What: NBA Western Conference Playoffs Semifinals Game 1
- When: May 5, 2025
- Who: Denver Nuggets vs. OKC Thunder
- Time: 6:30 p.m. PST
- Where: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, OK)
The fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets are set to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals series on Monday.
The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET at Paycom Center. During the regular season, both teams finished with a 2-2 record against each other.
The Nuggets had a close call but secured a 120-101 victory over the LA Clippers in Game 7. They were 1.5-point favorites playing at home.
While Nikola Jokic contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, Jamal Murray added 16 points and 5 boards, and Aaron Gordon led the team with 22 points.
Christian Braun also had a strong showing, scoring 21 points, including hitting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. In the series, Jokic averaged a triple-double with 24.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 10.1 assists per game, and 2.3 steals.
On the other hand, the Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies, finishing the series with a nail-biting 117-115 win in Game 4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was outstanding, scoring 38 points along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
He averaged 27.8 points per game in the series, boosted by a dominant Game 1, in which he dropped 15 points in a 131-80 blowout victory.
Jalen Williams had a strong presence with an average of 23.3 points per game, while Chet Holmgren contributed 18.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game.
It’s worth noting that the Thunder has been off since April 26 due to the sweep.
Both teams were evenly matched in the regular season, each posting 2-2 against the spread in their head-to-head matchups.
However, the Thunder might be a bit rusty following their layoff, whereas the Nuggets are coming off a high-stakes win and remain energized.
I’ll take the Nuggets to cover the 10.5 point spread against the Thunder as the best bet in this one.
Best Bet: Nuggets +10.5 Points at -115 odds
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
