Jan. 31, 2026, 11:30 a.m. CT
Entering the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets were viewed as the top two contenders. Over halfway through the year, that looks to be the case. We’ll get to see them square off for the first time this season in NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball debut broadcast.
Even though injuries have made the Thunder look more vulnerable in recent weeks, they still sit atop the NBA standings with most advanced metrics painting them as the league’s best team. The Nuggets aren’t that far behind, though.
After being out a month, Nikola Jokic returned just in time to face OKC. Of course, last year’s playoff series between the two squads is universally viewed as the most consequential of last year’s playoffs. The Thunder did just enough to win the Round 2 series with a Game 7 blowout win.
If both teams meet up again, expect it to be a similar thriller. Jamal Murray will play a huge part as Denver’s second-best player. He’s had a career season and could be in line for his first All-Star berth. That said, he downplayed Sunday’s game.
“It’s just another game, man,” Murray said. “You guys circle it.”
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Sure, Murray. Both sides can try to downplay this game as much as they want, but how the Thunder’s game against the Nuggets will play out will carry more weight than your average regular-season matchup. The NBA schedule-makers obviously believe so, too. As all four Denver-OKC games will be played out in the latter half of the regular-season marathon.