NBA odds, picks, best bets

The Nuggets host the Thunder on Wednesday night in a rematch of their season opener as Denver looks to extend its two-game winning streak.

While the Nuggets are 4-1 in their last five games, a closer look shows that they have benefited from a softer schedule, with wins over the Raptors (two), Nets and Jazz, three teams with a combined record of 7-16 .

They will now advance in their division against a Thunder team that is 0-7 yet to lose.

Thunder vs Nuggets odds

Oklahoma City Thunder betting preview

The cat is out of the bag with the Thunder, as they are no longer the best-kept secret in the NBA landscape.

The previous season, Oklahoma City won 57 games, surpassing its win total of 44.5, while also finishing as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The Thunder opened this season with a win total of 57.5, and given their hot start, that number seems like a bargain.

OKC managed to keep the core of its roster intact by signing shooting guard Alex Caruso via trade and signing free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein.

Caruso and Hartenstein provide the Thunder with elite defense in the back and front.

Although the center has not played yet this season due to a hand injury, OKC's defensive rating of 93.8 is more than eight points better than the Warriors, who rank second in that category.

Denver Nuggets betting preview

Like the Thunder, Denver finished the previous season with 57 wins but had to settle for second place in the West after losing the head-to-head tiebreaker (3-1) to OKC.

Unfortunately, their success in the regular season didn't carry over into the playoffs, as they faltered somewhat due to the lack of a third superstar and a bench with no real depth.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson, the few backup players the Nuggets could count on, have moved on to other teams.

While Denver hopes to fill that void with Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric, there are still many questions about the overall quality at this stage of their careers.

Westbrook has become one of the worst perimeter shooters in the league. He has shot less than 30% in four of the last five years, and his 20.8% from beyond the arc this season is the worst of his career.

Saric hardly comes on the pitch and averages 8.8 minutes in five of seven games.

To make matters worse, Denver lost its highly touted draft pick, DaRon Holmes II, to an Achilles injury in its first Summer League game.

As a result, the Nuggets will have to rely even more heavily on their three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, who will play more minutes, which could cause further fatigue down the stretch.

Choice between Thunder and Nuggets

Denver was generally an above-average defensive team as it limited opponents' possession by playing at a slower pace.

His defensive efficiency is only 0.7 points higher than last year, but his offensive rating has dropped from 117.8 to 114.5.

These offensive numbers are even more skewed when you take into account the quality of the opposition in wins over the Raptors, Nets and Jazz.

Betting on the NBA?

Things won't get any easier on Wednesday night as the Nuggets' second-best player, Jamal Murray, is out with a concussion.

Murray's unavailability caused the Thunder to go from a -3.5-point favorite to -7.

Since we missed our chance to get the better number, I would recommend a play in the first half that gets us back to within 3.5 points with the visitors in a game where the Nuggets should struggle , replacing Murray's performance.

Best Bet: Thunder 1H ML (-115, BetMGM)

Why you should trust New York Post Betting

For the New York Post, Michael Arinze hinders most major sports. He has won two 15-leg teasers and a 12-leg parlay in his betting career, which spanned eight games of the Little League World Series. Most recently, he precisely selected the finalists for the 2024 European Championship and the Copa América.