Oklahoma City Thunder (22-24, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (33-13, first in the Western Conference)
Denver; Sunday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Oklahoma City into a matchup with Denver. He's sixth in the NBA scoring 29.7 points per game.
The Nuggets are 24-9 in conference games. Denver is second in the NBA with 28.9 assists per game. Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets averaging 9.9.
The Thunder are 3-6 against the rest of their division. Oklahoma City is sixth in the Western Conference scoring 116.9 points per game and is shooting 46.7%.
The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Nuggets won 131-126 in overtime in the last meeting on Nov. 24. Jokic led the Nuggets with 39 points, and Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nah'Shon Hyland averages 2.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Nuggets, scoring 12.6 points while shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc. Jokic is averaging 25.1 points, 11 rebounds and 9.9 assists over the past 10 games for Denver.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.7 points, 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals for the Thunder. Isaiah Joe is averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Oklahoma City.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 9-1, averaging 121.4 points, 44.2 rebounds, 29.5 assists, 8.6 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.0 points per game.
Thunder: 7-3, averaging 123.1 points, 42.3 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.4 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Nikola Jokic: out (hamstring), Vlatko Cancar: out (illness), Peyton Watson: out (adductor), Collin Gillespie: out (leg).
Thunder: Chet Holmgren: out for season (foot), Ousmane Dieng: out (wrist), Aleksej Pokusevski: out (leg), Eugene Omoruyi: out (back), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press
