Denver nuggets against Oklahoma City Thunder preview: 2025 NBA Playoffs Series prediction, schedule, who can be seen

The Denver Nuggets were pushed into a seventh game in the first round, but shaken the spirits of the playoffs to win. Your reward? Oklahoma City, 48 hours later. Here is everything you need to know.

When do the Nuggets vs. Donner start?

Denver travels on Monday, May 5th, with a top-off from 10:30 ET to Oklahoma City to achieve the first game of the series. This series plays every other day, up to a game 7 if there were a few rest days.

Denver against Oklahoma City Playoffs Schedule 2025

All times are east (* = if necessary)
Game 1: Nuggets at Thunder (Mon. May 5th, 9:30 a.m. et, TNT)
Game 2: Nuggets at Thunder (May 7th, 9:30 a.m. et, TNT)
Game 3: Donner at Nuggets (Fri. 9. May 10 et, ESPN)
Game 4: Donner at Nuggets (Sun. 11. May, 3:30 ET, ABC)
Game 5: Nuggets at Thunder (Tuesday, May 13th, TBD, TNT)*
Game 6: Donner at Nuggets (Thursday May 15th, TBD, ESPN)*
Game 7: Nuggets at Thunder (Sun. 18 May, TBD)*

Player to see: Michael Porter Jr.

While he does not qualify as a “headliner” in this series, the productivity of Michael Porter Jr. for Denver is the key to win this series. And he was productive against the thunder during the regular season. In four meetings, he scored an average of 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 3.8 three points per game and scored 45.3 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the foul line. Interestingly, Porter in the regular series of season on the street shot much better (54.8 percent) than at home (36.4 percent). He managed to play through his left shoulder injury and deserve recognition. If Porter can be consistently productive as a scorer and rebounder, the nuggets can pull the surprise.
–Raphelle JohnsoN, Rotoworld basketball analyst

Key that you should pay attention to against Oklahoma City

1) Jamal Murray against Thunder Perimeter -Defenders

Nikola Jokic will get his. While Mark Daigneult and Crew Jeff Van Gundys will study solid game plans against Jokic from the first round – with Isaiah Hartenstein, who tries to fill the role of Ivica Zubac – the simple fact is that Jokic is the best basketball player on planet earth at the moment and it can only do so much people.

So that the nuggets in this series have a chance, they need 2023 Jamal Murray to appear. This Peak Murray performed against the clipper – like game 4 when he had 43 points and 7 templates – but he was not consistent all season (or in the last series). Now Murray has to do it with Lu there, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and other elite defenders who concentrate on him.

2) can survive the non-Jokic minutes

The long -term problems of the Nuggets, when Nikola Jokic is in front of space, are no secret, and that has played again in the past regular season when Denver has a net evaluation of -8.3 as Jokic was sitting. In the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers, this rose to a net assessment of -26.4 without Jokic. The thunder is better than the clipper, and when Oklahoma City dominates the non-Jokic minutes at the level that Los Angeles or more has done, there will be a hole too deep, even if they are limited.

3) Battle of the MVP candidates

At some point in this series, the NBA will announce the winner of the MVP Prize for this season, and Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Aalexander will end 1: 2, probably with Gilgeous-Alexander, who wins his first award. This should light a fire under Jokic and the Nuggets.

Incidentally, this could be a huge SGA series, the nuggets have no defender who can keep it away from the color. While Denver will throw several players on SGA to slow him down, Jalen Williams and others open the door to sit on thunder.
– Kurt Helin, NBC Sports Lead NBA Writer

Predict

Jay Crouche (NBC Sports Lead -Wett Analyst): Donner in 6

Since Christian Braun makes a jump and Jamal Murray healthier, this Nugget team is not really worse than last year's team that has entered the playoffs The Clear Favorit to win the West. Jokic offers the highest stick that a crime can have, and the size of OKC is not overwhelmed.

But OKC is in its own level in the West – the greatest net value ever speaks for itself. Exciting Murray with the army of the Elite Perimeter defender, OKC, to fight, and so that the nuggets have no more gas that effectively plays a 6-man rotation.

Kurt Helin (NBC Sports Lead NBA Writer): Donner in 5

There is a segment of fans as well as some scouts and front office people in the NBA, who still don't believe in Oklahoma City as a candidate. You see OKC as a team of the regular season, not as a playoff team and think that this is the series, tested in the OKC and is probably exposed to a proven championship fight. I say these people are about to eat … crow. The thunder are real, they are deep, they defend at the elite level and can beat teams in many different ways.

I personally saw the nuggets in the first round three times and thought: “This is not a championship team this season.” The journey from Denver ends here.