Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (02-01-2026) game preview: When and where to watch, expected lineup, injury report, prediction, and more

On Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder will play the Denver Nuggets away from home. The two teams will play each other for the first time this season. In their first game of the season, the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder finally square off. The teams will play each other four times over the next two months in anticipation of a possible playoff matchup, while the scheduling makers decided to postpone this one.

Neither team is quite healthy; the Thunder are without Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams, and Denver may still be missing three starters. Whether the Nuggets have enough players available to slow down the Thunder in crucial situations is the question. Despite a few missing parts, these are the NBA's top two scoring units.

Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - When and where to watch the game

The Denver Nuggets vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder match will tip off on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 9:30 p.m. ET. It will take place from Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado. NBC/Peacock will telecast the entire match. Additionally, it will also be live streamed by Fubo and Prime Videos,

Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - Expected Starting Lineups

Denver Nuggets

PG Jamal Murray
SG Bruce Brown
SF Peyton Watson
PF Spencer Jones
C Nikola Jokic

Oklahoma City Thunder

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG Luguentz Dort
SF Aaron Wiggins
PF Chet Holmgren
C Isaiah Hartenstein

Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - Injury Report

Denver Nuggets

• Jamal Murray- Day-to-day (Hip/hamstring)
• Christian Braun- Out (Ankle)
• Nikola Jokic- Day-to-day (Knee)
• Cameron Johnson- Out (Knee)
• Aaron Gordon- Out (Hamstring)
• Tamar Bates- Out (Foot)

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Alex Caruso- Out (Adductor)
• Ajay Mitchell- Out (Abdomen)
• Jalen Williams- Out (Hamstring)
• Nikola Topic- Out (Diagnosed with testicular cancer)
• Thomas Sorber- Out (Sustained a torn ACL in his right knee)

Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - Game Prediction

Oklahoma City comes into Sunday's game with the best record in the NBA at 38-11. Five games behind them is Denver, which holds sole possession of the second seed in the Western Conference.

The Thunder are 5.5-point favorites over the Nuggets on the spread (Thunder -5.5), with the over/under set at 224.5 total points. Oklahoma City is a -186 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Denver is +155 to pull off the upset.

This is also a battle between the league's best defense (Oklahoma City) and best offense (Denver). One way the Nuggets can get some separation is by creating corner threes, which the Thunder surrender more than any other team in the league. Now, they are ready for each other.


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