Durant's Christmas list includes a victory over Nuggets

[Betfair]

Professional sports handicapper Jeff Mattingly previews a Western Conference matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder at the Oklahoma City Arena

At the time of this writing, the following Match Odds/Moneyline were available: Denver Nuggets (2.96, +196) and Oklahoma City Thunder (1.45, -222)

Denver has come away with victories in 11 of the last 13 meetings against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but will be playing its second straight game without the services of All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony. He traveled to San Antonio for the team's previous contest and later left when receiving word that his sister died of a pre-existing condition on Tuesday. "It brings us down to earth," said coach George Karl. "Basketball isn't the most important thing." Anthony will certainly be missed due to averaging 30.3 points and 10.0 rebounds in his last four games on the floor, while his 29.6 points per game against the Thunder since 2005-06 is his best against any Western Conference opponent. The team has a dismal 4-9 record on the road, including a 3-4 mark against conference opponents.

The Nuggets are now becoming a regular in scheduled games on Christmas Day, playing their second consecutive contest on the holiday and Anthony was one of the biggest fans of doing so. "I always ask for a Christmas game and now we get them every year," he commented. "It's a big stage." Denver was unable to hold off the San Antonio Spurs in a 109-103 defeat at the AT&T Center on Wednesday, getting outscored 29-14 in the final quarter. The game did serve as the first of the season to Chris Anderson and Kenyon Martin, giving the team added depth in the front court.
Oklahoma City picked up just a single victory in the four game series against Denver last season and ironically it came without facing the opponent's star player due to an ankle injury. The Thunder will rely heavily on All-Star forward Kevin Durant, who has scored at least 30 points in each of his last five home games against the Nuggets. The team is also 8-2 when he reaches the 30-point mark this season. He will need to play great in order for the squad to bounce back from a disappointing 112-98 loss to the Knicks, which was the second loss in three games. "We didn't come in with the right mindset," said coach Scott Brooks. "They're a physical team."

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