Denver @ Oklahoma City
Tip-off 6:30 PM PT · Draft Kings lines · 5,000 sims · win chance for OKC
NBA backtest: the books beat this sim on sides and totals; props run slightly above base rates. Details
How the sim saw it
The sim has Oklahoma City winning 86.0% of 5,000 games, against 74% from the books. The median score is Oklahoma City 122, Denver 108. In the most typical game: Oklahoma City leads by as many as 25 in the first half; Oklahoma City leads 69-44 at the break. Oklahoma City's 11-0 run in the 1st quarter is the biggest swing. Gilgeous-Alexander puts Oklahoma City ahead for good with 12:00 left in the 1st. Jokić finds Gordon 3 times. McCain goes 7 of 10 off Oklahoma City's bench. Oklahoma City leads by 33 at its high point in the 4th. Denver gets within 16. Nembhard scores last; final 124-108 Oklahoma City.
Denver wins 699 of the 5,000. Its chances rise when it makes 13+ threes (it wins 25%), wins the turnover battle (33%) or gets 30+ from Jokić (22%). The matchup to watch is Denver's ball security against Oklahoma City's hands. Oklahoma City covers -8.5 in 70% and the game goes over 235.5 in 39%.
Full breakdown
Last time they met (Apr 10), Denver won in Denver, 127-107.
Tonight Oklahoma City is without Nikola Topić.
Tonight Denver is without Julian Strawther.
Oklahoma City went 64-18 last season (best record in the NBA).
Denver went 54-28 last season (5th best record in the NBA).
Oklahoma City won the season series 3-1.
Chet Holmgren missed 2 of the 4 meetings.
Ajay Mitchell missed 3 of the 4 meetings.
Isaiah Hartenstein missed 2 of the 4 meetings.
Alex Caruso missed 3 of the 4 meetings.
Brooks Barnhizer missed 2 of the 4 meetings.
Christian Braun missed 2 of the 4 meetings.
Cameron Johnson missed 2 of the 4 meetings.
Zeke Nnaji missed 2 of the 4 meetings.
Oklahoma City: gone: Luguentz Dort (now ATL), Isaiah Joe (now DET), Aaron Wiggins (now ATL); new: Jared McCain (from PHI), Aday Mara (no NBA minutes last season), Josh Dix (no NBA minutes last season), Bennett Stirtz (no NBA minutes last season).
Denver: gone: Tim Hardaway Jr. (now MIA), Bruce Brown (off the league rosters), Peyton Watson (now CLE); new: DeMar DeRozan (from SAC), Marvin Bagley III (from WAS), Ryan Nembhard (from DAL), Cam Whitmore (from WAS), Tyus Jones (from ORL), Trevon Brazile (rookie, #35 pick), Bryce Hopkins (rookie, #49 pick).
Who's in the sim (top five by projected minutes listed first):
OKC: Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, J. Williams, Wallace, Mitchell
Bench: Hartenstein, Caruso, J. Williams, McCain, K. Williams (+4 under 8 min)
Out: Oweh, Sorber, Topić
No NBA history: Dix (undrafted, 2 min from past rookies)
DEN: Murray, Jokić, Braun, Johnson, Gordon
Bench: DeRozan, Bagley, Nembhard, S. Jones, Whitmore, T. Jones (+4 under 8 min)
Out: Strawther
Maybe: S. Jones (50% to play, minutes scaled)
No NBA history: Brazile (#35 pick, 3 min from past rookies), Hopkins (#49 pick, 3 min from past rookies)
Who gets hunted: last season shooters hit +7.2 points vs their usual FG% against DeMar DeRozan and +3.0 against Nikola Jokić.
The stoppers on threes: Aaron Gordon held shooters 11.9 points under their usual 3P%, Christian Braun held shooters 4.4 points under their usual 3P%.
The matchup to watch: Denver's ball security vs Oklahoma City's hands.
Denver turned it over on 12.0% of possessions last season (3rd fewest).
Oklahoma City forced turnovers on 15.6% (2nd most), with 9.7 steals (2nd) and 5.5 blocks (6th) a game.
Shot diets.
Oklahoma City: 42.6% of shots from three (13th), 30.0% at the rim (15th).
Denver: 40.8% of shots from three (17th), 29.2% at the rim (19th).
Oklahoma City's defense: 2nd fewest rim attempts allowed, 25th lowest opponent three-point % (36.9%).
Denver's defense: 6th fewest rim attempts allowed, 3rd lowest opponent three-point % (34.9%).
Oklahoma City's offense runs through Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the pick-and-roll ball handler: 9.2 a game last season, 2nd most in the NBA.
1.20 points per play (top 4%), turnover on 9% of them.
When it goes to the roller: Oklahoma City's roll men scored 1.11 (15th in the league). Chet Holmgren alone: 1.33.
Denver faced 17.1 of those a game (18th most) and ranked 18th defending them. Against the roll man: 11th.
In the sim: 1.14 Gilgeous-Alexander-to-Holmgren baskets a game (last season: 1.42).
With 8+ Gilgeous-Alexander assists, Oklahoma City wins 89.7%.
Denver's offense lives on four plays: spot-up shots, transition, the pick-and-roll ball handler, cuts. It ranked 1st, 4th, 8th, 14th in points per play on them.
Oklahoma City's defense ranked 18th, 1st, 2nd, 4th against those same four.
Nikola Jokić in one split:
Spot-up shots: 1.11 points per play (top 32%), 2.4 a game.
Post-ups: 1.13 points per play (top 25%), 5.5 a game.
Oklahoma City's defense: 4th against post-ups, 18th against spot-up shots.
Where Denver can hit back:
- Oklahoma City was 18th defending spot-up shots. Cameron Johnson ran 3.2 a game at 1.28 per play
- Oklahoma City was 9th defending off-screen shots. Nikola Jokić ran 1.2 a game at 1.45 per play
One check against real life:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35.0 points in his 3 games against Denver last season, 36 of them on Feb 27. In our 5,000 sims: 35.5.
Nikola Jokić scored 23.7 points in his 3 games against Oklahoma City last season, 32 of them on Mar 9. In our 5,000 sims: 24.3.
Things you'll notice in the sim:
- Oklahoma City leads by as many as 25 in the first half; Oklahoma City leads 69-44 at the break
- Oklahoma City's 11-0 run in the 1st quarter is the biggest swing
- Gilgeous-Alexander puts Oklahoma City ahead for good with 12:00 left in the 1st
- Jokić finds Gordon 3 times
- McCain goes 7 of 10 off Oklahoma City's bench
- Oklahoma City leads by 33 at its high point in the 4th. Denver gets within 16. Nembhard scores last; final 124-108 Oklahoma City
How Denver wins (699 of the 5,000):
- It makes threes: 12.8 a game in its wins, 10.6 in its losses. At 13 or more, it wins 25%
- It wins the turnover battle: then it wins 33%
- Jokić scores 30 or more: then it wins 22%
Across all 5,000 sims:
Oklahoma City wins 86.0%. The books (Draft Kings) have Oklahoma City at 74%, ESPN's model at 75%.
Median score: Oklahoma City 122, Denver 108
Oklahoma City covers -8.5 in 70%
Over 235.5 in 39%
Leans:
Biggest role disagreements (new to the team or the league, the books see a different role): DeMar DeRozan points line 13.5, sim 11.0; DeMar DeRozan pts+reb line 15.5, sim 13.4; Jared McCain points line 9.5, sim 7.8
Caution: tonight the sim sits 0.9 under the books' prop lines on average, so unders are inflated
- Nikola Jokić under 10.5 assists (93%, sim avg 6.7)
- Aaron Gordon under 20.5 pts+reb (88%, sim avg 14.4)
- Aaron Gordon under 16.5 pts+ast (84%, sim avg 11.7)
- Aaron Gordon under 14.5 points (83%, sim avg 10.0)
Fine print: one game isn't a prediction. The percentages are the signal.
Our own backtest (2024-26): the books beat this sim on sides and totals. Prop leans beat the base rate by 1-4 points out of sample, not enough to prove profit. Treat it as a lens, not a bet.
Most typical game, play by play (DEN score first)
Top 10 prop ideas
No prop ideas logged for this game: not enough props were posted before tip-off.
All player props
Sorted by how far the sim sits from 50%. Players new to their team are tagged: the sim is least sure about their role.
| Player | Market | Line | Sim avg | Sim over | Lean | Sim + you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikola Jokić | assists | 10.5 | 6.7 | 7% | under 93% | |
| Aaron Gordon | pts+reb | 20.5 | 14.4 | 12% | under 88% | |
| Aaron Gordon | pts+ast | 16.5 | 11.7 | 16% | under 84% | |
| Aaron Gordon | points | 14.5 | 10.0 | 17% | under 83% | |
| Jamal Murray | assists | 6.5 | 4.5 | 17% | under 83% | |
| Christian Braun | threes | 1.5 | 0.8 | 19% | under 81% | |
| Nikola Jokić | pts+ast | 36.5 | 31.0 | 21% | under 79% | |
| Cameron Johnson | assists | 2.5 | 1.7 | 23% | under 77% | |
| Aaron Gordon | assists | 2.5 | 1.7 | 25% | under 75% | |
| Cameron Johnson | threes | 2.5 | 1.7 | 26% | under 74% | |
| Aaron Gordon | threes | 1.5 | 1.0 | 26% | under 74% | |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | rebounds | 8.5 | 7.0 | 27% | under 73% | |
| Cason Wallace | points | 9.5 | 7.1 | 27% | under 73% | |
| Cason Wallace | pts+reb | 12.5 | 10.0 | 28% | under 72% | |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | pts+reb | 16.5 | 14.1 | 28% | under 72% | |
| Aaron Gordon | rebounds | 5.5 | 4.4 | 28% | under 72% | |
| Cason Wallace | pts+ast | 11.5 | 9.2 | 28% | under 72% | |
| DeMar DeRozannew team | points | 13.5 | 11.0 | 29% | under 71% | |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | pts+ast | 11.5 | 9.5 | 29% | under 71% | |
| Christian Braun | pts+ast | 12.5 | 10.2 | 30% | under 70% | |
| Cason Wallace | threes | 1.5 | 1.1 | 30% | under 70% | |
| Nikola Jokić | pts+reb | 39.5 | 35.7 | 30% | under 70% | |
| Chet Holmgren | threes | 0.5 | 1.2 | 70% | over 70% | |
| Chet Holmgren | assists | 1.5 | 1.1 | 30% | under 70% | |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | pts+reb | 35.5 | 39.9 | 70% | over 70% | |
| Christian Braun | points | 10.5 | 8.6 | 31% | under 69% | |
| Cameron Johnson | pts+ast | 14.5 | 12.2 | 31% | under 69% | |
| Cameron Johnson | pts+reb | 16.5 | 14.1 | 31% | under 69% | |
| Jamal Murray | pts+ast | 29.5 | 26.4 | 32% | under 68% | |
| DeMar DeRozannew team | pts+reb | 15.5 | 13.4 | 32% | under 68% | |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | points | 31.5 | 35.5 | 68% | over 68% | |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | points | 8.5 | 7.1 | 32% | under 68% | |
| Jared McCainnew team | points | 9.5 | 7.8 | 33% | under 67% | |
| Cameron Johnson | points | 12.5 | 10.6 | 33% | under 67% | |
| Cason Wallace | rebounds | 3.5 | 2.9 | 33% | under 67% | |
| DeMar DeRozannew team | pts+ast | 15.5 | 13.6 | 33% | under 67% | |
| Nikola Jokić | rebounds | 12.5 | 11.3 | 34% | under 66% | |
| Christian Braun | pts+reb | 14.5 | 12.9 | 35% | under 65% | |
| Cason Wallace | assists | 2.5 | 2.1 | 35% | under 65% | |
| Jalen Williams | assists | 4.5 | 3.9 | 35% | under 65% | |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | rebounds | 3.5 | 4.5 | 65% | over 65% | |
| Jalen Williams | threes | 1.5 | 1.2 | 35% | under 65% | |
| Nikola Jokić | points | 26.5 | 24.3 | 36% | under 64% | |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | pts+ast | 38.5 | 41.6 | 64% | over 64% | |
| Ajay Mitchell | threes | 0.5 | 1.0 | 63% | over 63% | |
| Jared McCainnew team | threes | 1.5 | 1.3 | 38% | under 62% | |
| Christian Braun | rebounds | 3.5 | 4.3 | 62% | over 62% | |
| DeMar DeRozannew team | threes | 0.5 | 0.5 | 38% | under 62% | |
| Jalen Williams | pts+ast | 23.5 | 22.2 | 40% | under 60% | |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | threes | 1.5 | 2.0 | 59% | over 59% | |
| Jamal Murray | rebounds | 3.5 | 4.1 | 59% | over 59% | |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | assists | 6.5 | 6.1 | 41% | under 59% | |
| DeMar DeRozannew team | rebounds | 2.5 | 2.4 | 42% | under 58% | |
| Jalen Williams | rebounds | 4.5 | 4.3 | 42% | under 58% | |
| Jalen Williams | pts+reb | 23.5 | 22.6 | 43% | under 57% | |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | assists | 2.5 | 2.4 | 43% | under 57% | |
| Chet Holmgren | rebounds | 7.5 | 8.1 | 56% | over 56% | |
| Jamal Murray | points | 22.5 | 21.9 | 45% | under 55% | |
| Chet Holmgren | pts+reb | 22.5 | 23.5 | 54% | over 54% | |
| Jamal Murray | pts+reb | 26.5 | 26.0 | 46% | under 54% | |
| Chet Holmgren | pts+ast | 15.5 | 16.6 | 54% | over 54% | |
| Chet Holmgren | points | 14.5 | 15.4 | 54% | over 54% | |
| Jamal Murray | threes | 2.5 | 2.8 | 53% | over 53% | |
| Jalen Williams | points | 18.5 | 18.3 | 47% | under 53% | |
| DeMar DeRozannew team | assists | 2.5 | 2.5 | 47% | under 53% | |
| Nikola Jokić | threes | 1.5 | 1.6 | 47% | under 53% | |
| Cameron Johnson | rebounds | 3.5 | 3.5 | 48% | under 52% | |
| Ajay Mitchell | points | 11.5 | 11.8 | 50% | under 50% | |
| Christian Braun | assists | 1.5 | 1.7 | 50% | over 50% |