After beating the Memphis Grizzlies in four quick games, the Oklahoma City Thunder have had plenty of rest before they take on the Denver Nuggets in the second round.
Denver beat the LA Clippers in round one, although they needed seven games to do it. As the first seed, the Thunder are massive favorites to beat Denver, and ESPN's panel of experts revealed their picks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tries to score against Nikola Jokic
© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Of nine ESPN NBA insiders and reporters, all of them predicted the Thunder to win, although four of them think it will take seven games, with the other five thinking the Thunder will win in six.
Denver and OKC split their regular-season series 2-2, and Russell Westbrook in particular looked great in the final three games of the first series against Los Angeles.
However, the Thunder are the best teams in the league and had one of the best regular seasons of all-time, and are expected to cruise through the playoffs en route to only their second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.
According to FanDuel, the Thunder (-900) are massive favorites to beat Denver (+610) despite the Nuggets boasting the best offensive player in the world, Nikola Jokic.
With +198 odds, the series going only five games has the best chance, with the sportsbook favoring the Thunder even more than ESPN's experts. After winning the NBA Finals in 2023, the Nuggets are a massive underdog to make it back, possibly leaving Jokic with only a single ring.
The Thunder will host the Nuggets on Monday at 8:30 CST, with the game being broadcast on TNT.
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