OKC Thunder Starting Lineup vs. Denver Nuggets Game 1

The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

This is where the rubber meets the round for the OKC Thunder, who for the second straight season dispatched its first round matchup in four games.

The Denver Nuggets enter after a hard-fought seven game series against the LA Clippers. Both the Thunder and Nuggets were ousted in Round 2 a year ago. Something has to give with the two sides in search of a Western Conference Finals berth. For the Thunder, it will be their first since 2016.

There is plenty of storylines to follow in this contest. From the return of Russell Westbrook to the house he built. To the heated MVP race that reaches a head as Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander face-off on the biggest stage. A core that has already won a title matches up with the new kids on the block still in search of validation.

Alongside the narratives and storylines, there are plenty of basketball X Factors as well. The OKC Thunder have to try to slow Jokic and can do so with a plethora of options. From going double-big to single-big and even the temptation to dip back into the Thunder's small-ball lineups. It is all possible for OKC.

The Nuggets rotation and lineups are a bit more set in stone, with Denver only trusting seven players to play in this setting. The Thunder's depth could be an advantage for Oklahoma City, though with the Nuggets playing its stars so many minutes, OKC might need to match. That will be a storyline to follow the entire length of the series on the court.

Oklahoma City is facing a must-win Game 1, as the heavy favorites, with the rest advantage and having past success. Mark Daigneault and company are 3-0 in Game 1s to date.

“We just try to come out and establish our identity and style of play. Establish our habits and norms. We try to look at different things in every Game 1. We try not to white knuckle the whole game, lock into doing one thing. We try to sample some different things, and give ourselves some feedback, put our players in some different situations. That's been successful for us," Daigneault said pregame.

OKC Thunder Starters:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G

Lu Dort, G

Jalen Williams, F

Chet Holmgren, F

Isaiah Hartenstein, C

Denver Nuggets Starters:

Jamal Murray, G

Christian Braun, G

Michael Porter Jr., F

Aaron Gordon, F

Nikola Jokic, C

Up next, this series will head to Game 2. The OKC Thunder and Denver Nuggets will rack it back up on Wednesday, May 7 inside the Paycom Center.