The Denver Nuggets are back in action for Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder after stealing the series-opener on the road in thrilling fashion on Monday. Nikola Jokic made a couple a big shots down the stretch en route to a 42 point, 22 rebound performance, but the story of the night was Aaron Gordon as he hit a game-winning 3-pointer with just seconds to go.

Denver had five players score in double-digits in Game 1, but the team as a whole shot just 44% from the field and 31% from three. The team also had twice as many turnovers as the Thunder and were outscored in transition. However, the story of the game was the rebounding battle, as the Nuggets were able to snag 20 more rebounds than their opponent thanks to 22 from Jokic, 14 from Aaron Gordon and 13 from Christian Braun.

Game 1 was an absolute steal for the Nuggets, who now have home court advantage in the series. If they want to keep winning and retain that advantage, they will need more than five players to show up, as Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther were all zero-factors in the win. The Thunder’s depth is one of the team’s biggest assets, and the Nuggets bench will have to respond, especially after Watson gassed up the unit after the first round series against the LA Clippers.

Peyton Watson on the Nuggets belief that they have the “best bench in the league.” pic.twitter.com/LpHaM3A2Gf

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) May 4, 2025

For an in-depth analysis of the series, read here.

How to watch Game 2 of Nuggets-Thunder

Game 2 from Oklahoma City will be broadcast on TNT and TruTV with the opening tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Denver time. It will also be streamed on MAX.

Odds for Game 2 of Nuggets-Thunder

Spread/Total: Nuggets +10, 230

Moneyline: Nuggets +360, Thunder -460

Nikola Jokic to record a triple-double: +120

Wednesday’s lines are more in favor of the Thunder putting up a lot of points compared to where they closed at in Game 1. The series-opener saw the Thunder in control of the spread throughout until the Nuggets stormed back to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. Jokic was not that close, for his standards, to securing a triple double on Monday as well, as his six assists were the lowest total he’s put up since Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals last year.

Projected starting lineups for Game 2 of Nuggets-Thunder

Nuggets
G: Jamal Murray
G: Christian Braun
F: Michael Porter Jr.
F: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic

Thunder
G: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
G: Lugentz Dort
F: Jalen Williams
F: Chet Holmgren
C: Isaiah Hartenstein

Injury notes/report for Game 2 of Nuggets-Thunder

Nuggets
Michael Porter Jr. still continues to battle the shoulder sprain he suffered in Game 2 of the opening round, and it seemed to be bothering him at times on Monday as he played one of his poorest games of the postseason. Despite the pain, he’s not listed on the injury report.

As always, DaRon Holmes II is listed Denver’s injury report, as the rookie is still rehabbing the Achilles tendon he tore back in the NBA Summer League.

Thunder
The Thunder injury report is about as clean as can be. The only player who is out for the No. 1 seed is Nikola Topic, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL.

Referees for Game 2 of Nuggets-Thunder

Crew Chief: Scott Foster (#48)
Referee: James Williams (#60)
Umpire: Ed Malloy (#14)
Alternate: JB DeRosa (#22)
Replay Center: Mitchell Ervin

What to watch for in Game 2 of Nuggets-Thunder

The rebounding battle. The Nuggets won this front by 20 in the opener, and Christian Braun was the story with 13 rebounds, which would set a new career-high for the third-year guard. On the other side of the floor, the Thunder only had one player reach double-digits in the rebounding game as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pulled in 10. There was a lot of talk about the size of Oklahoma City with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein heading into the series, but that pairing combined for just 15 rebounds.

Through five playoff games so far, the Thunder have been at their best when either Holmgren or Hartenstein are on the floor, but not when both or none are out there. With both on the floor, the team has a net rating of -1.41. With neither of them, that number drops to -12.86. However, when just Holmgren is on the floor, the net rating jumps up to 19.59, and skyrockets up to 41.24 when only Hartenstein is on the floor. While having them both out there should be the best way for the Thunder to secure rebounds, could utilizing the two-big lineup less be the answer for the Thunder to even this series up?

The Nuggets were able to win on Monday because of this rebound advantage, despite getting beat in a handful of other categories such as fast break points. If they can control the glass in Game 2, it’ll put them in a good position to steal another one on the road.