The Denver Nuggets host the OKC Thunder at the Ball Arena on Friday, April 10, at 9:00 p.m. ET.
The Nuggets are 52-28 and third in the West with a 27-13 home record, while the Thunder are 64-16 and first in the West with a 30-9 road record.
The Nuggets picked up a 136-119 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, their 10th win in a row, while the Thunder are coming off a 128-110 win over the LA Clippers on Wednesday, their seventh straight win. The last meeting between these rivals came on March 9, 2026, with the Thunder picking up a 129-126 win. The Thunder are 3-0 on the season against the Nuggets and will be eyeing the season series sweep on Friday.
Nikola Jokic will likely play this game despite Denver’s seeding position being secure to reach the 65-game eligibility mark for end-of-season awards. Jokic is averaging 27.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.9 assists in a historic season. His co-star Jamal Murray has been contributing as well, averaging 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists while shooting 43.5% from three this season.
The Thunder have ruled out key contributors such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, among many others after securing the No. 1 seed in the West. This will likely lead to a huge opportunity for midseason acquisition Jared McCain, who is averaging 10.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 28 games for OKC this season.
Despite the seeding battle for both teams being over, this game will produce fireworks as a potential Playoff preview between two title contenders, although one squad will be far more depleted than the other.
Injury Report
Nuggets
Spencer Jones: Out (right hamstring strain)
Peyton Watson: Out (right hamstring strain)
Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Out (elbow)
Jalen Williams: Out (hamstring)
Chet Holmgren: Out (back)
Isaiah Hartenstein: Out (calf)
Isaiah Joe: Out (knee)
Ajay Mitchell: Out (ankle)
Cason Wallace: Out (toe)
Jaylin Williams: Out (Achilles)
Alex Caruso: Out (rest)
Thomas Sorber: Out (knee)
Why The Nuggets Have The Advantage
The Nuggets will have more advantages than they can count against the Thunder on Friday, with 10 rotational players ruled out with a week remaining before the Playoffs start. The Nuggets won’t be doing this, mainly because Jokic still needs to reach the minimum games played limit to be eligible for awards and because the franchise has seen core players miss enough games due to injury to pass on a chemistry-building opportunity like this.
The Nuggets have the best offense in the NBA, leading the league in points (121.9 PPG) as well as offensive rating (121.1). The team dishes out 29.0 assists as a unit per game while shooting 49.6% from the field (second-best) and 39.5% from three (best in the NBA). They’re easily the deadliest offense in the NBA, led by the two-headed monster of Jokic and Murray.
The Thunder might have players like Lu Dort available to try to restrict Denver’s production, but it’s hard to imagine Dort being able to make such a profound defensive impact on his own. Jokic presents a matchup problem for the Thunder when they’re healthy, let alone when they’ll be relying on players such as Branden Carlson and Mason Plumlee.
The margins on which OKC could trouble the Nuggets, such as forcing turnovers, shouldn’t be a problem. Denver has a turnover percentage of 11.5 and commits the third-fewest turnovers in the NBA (12.9 TOPG). Given they make 287.8 passes per game, this shows great ball control for a team that’s known to make audacious passes for easy buckets.
Why The Thunder Have The Advantage
There genuinely is no advantage that OKC can rely on after ruling out their entire core rotation for this clash. There is no reason for them to play those players with the seeding battle over. The Playoffs start in a week, and the Thunder want their players as rested as possible, while giving a sizable opportunity to end-of-bench players to potentially earn a spot in the rotation.
Season stats about the Thunder being easily the best team in the league are irrelevant since the players who made those stats possible will all be ruled out for this clash. One can only hope the inherent offensive and defensive systems can withstand the Nuggets, even with Nikola Jokic leading Denver.
X-Factors
Aaron Gordon has averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 36 games for the Nuggets this season, struggling with several injuries over the season. He’s looking healthy right now, and the team is unlikely to sit him for rest as he continues to find his rhythm on the court. Against such a weakened Thunder roster with no interior protection, Gordon could have a huge night. He tends to overperform offensively against the Thunder, so the Nuggets will hope that happens again in this clash.
Christian Braun has also missed considerable time due to injuries this season, which is why the Nuggets are unlikely to rest him without reason as well. Braun is averaging 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 44 games this season, playing an important role for the Nuggets on the perimeter. His offense has been streaky for most of his career, but a weak opponent like the version of OKC we’ll see on Friday might enable Braun to have a performance that boosts his motivation ahead of the Playoffs.
The Thunder are coming into this game ridiculously shorthanded, so veteran forward Kenrich Williams might get ample opportunity on the court. The 32-year-old is averaging 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds this season, but has been with the franchise since 2020. He’s a proven 3-and-D contributor in limited minutes for the franchise, but has seen his minutes overall drop this season as the Thunder have evolved into a better team. Nonetheless, this might be an opportunity for the veteran to shine once again.
Thunder guard Nikola Topic has one of the best stories in the NBA, as the 20-year-old guard overcame a torn ACL and cancer to keep his NBA dream alive. He’s averaged just 2.5 points and 2.4 assists in 10.8 minutes over eight games, but might get a real opportunity as the team’s point guard in this clash. McCain is the only other on-ball guard available, so Topic should get the chance to orchestrate the offense as the lead playmaker for the first time in his NBA career.
Prediction
It is impossible to say that the Thunder will emerge victorious in this one. Coach Mark Daigneault is one of the best in the NBA, but even he would struggle to make up the talent gap in this matchup. We’ve seen him saddled with tanking rosters before and failing to win those games, so it’s unreasonable to imagine he’d suddenly pull a rabbit out of a hat against the Nuggets, who have the longest active win streak in the NBA right now. The Nuggets will be playing a full-strength lineup, and this game looks like a mismatch on paper.
Prediction: Nuggets 137, Thunder 109
