The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, February 1, at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Oklahoma City enters the game with the best record in the West at 38-11. Denver sits second at 33-16, making this a meeting between the top two teams in the conference.
Injuries will play a meaningful role, particularly for the Thunder, who are missing several rotation players. Jalen Williams is out with a right hamstring strain, removing a 16.8-point-per-game scorer and secondary playmaker from the lineup.
Alex Caruso is also unavailable due to a right adductor strain. Ajay Mitchell remains out with an abdominal strain after averaging 14.1 points per game in an expanded role this season. Oklahoma City will also be without Thomas Sorber and Nikola Topic, both sidelined in surgical recovery.
Despite the injuries, the Thunder still rely heavily on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the league’s top seed with 32.0 points per game. He is shooting 55.6 percent from the field and nearly 90 percent from the free-throw line.
Chet Holmgren continues to anchor the frontcourt with 17.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. Isaiah Hartenstein adds rebounding support at 10.2 boards per contest.
The Nuggets also list several players on the injury report. Aaron Gordon is out with a right hamstring strain, while Cameron Johnson remains sidelined due to a right knee bone bruise. Christian Braun is listed as doubtful with a left ankle sprain. Tamar Bates is out following left foot surgery, and Curtis Jones is unavailable on a G League two-way assignment.
Nikola Jokic is listed as probable with a left knee bone bruise. The three-time MVP is averaging 29.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 10.8 assists.
Jamal Murray is also probable while managing right hamstring and left hip inflammation. He averages 25.8 points and shoots 44.7 percent from three.
Denver enters on a two-game winning streak after beating the Clippers and Nets. Oklahoma City is coming off a road loss at Minnesota but remains one of the NBA’s most efficient offenses at 120.3 points per game.
