It’s a do-or-die Game 7 for the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon with a spot in the 2025 Western Conference finals on the line. The top-seeded Thunder are facing elimination for the first time in these playoffs after dropping Game 6 in Denver on Thursday night. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are playing in their second Game 7 of the 2025 playoffs after they ousted the Los Angeles Clippers in a winner-take-all game in the first round. Denver will have Aaron Gordon on Sunday, who is giving it a go after straining his hamstring in Game 6.
The Minnesota Timberwolves await Sunday’s winner in the Western Conference finals, which begin Tuesday night.
OKC has not been to the WCF since 2016, but the team has been viewed as the West’s team to beat all season long. Led by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are favored to win Game 7, and they’re still viewed as the favorites to win the 2025 NBA Finals (+110 on FanDuel). Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder with 28.8 points per game in the series, and five different Thunder players are averaging double figures.
Nikola Jokić is trying to propel Denver to the West finals for the second time in three years. Jokić is the 2025 NBA playoff leader in all three major statistical offensive categories with 347 points, 169 rebounds and 105 assists so far in 13 games.
Thunder vs. Nuggets: Game 7 info
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET | Date: Sunday, May 18
Location: Paycom Center — Oklahoma City
TV channel: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Odds (via FanDuel): Thunder -8.5, O/U 214
Thunder vs. Nuggets: Game 7 best bet
This projected point total seems unusually high for a Game 7. There have been 25 Game 7s since 2018 and 20 of them have gone under 214 total points. That means we’ve seen only five overs in that span. Aaron Gordon is not 100%, which means one of Denver’s best players be limited. The player likeliest to absorb his minutes is Peyton Watson, a defensive-minded reserve that doesn’t make 3s. Most Game 7s tend to be tight and dominated by defense. This should be no exception. The Pick: Under 214