Same Game Parlay For Denver Nuggets At Oklahoma City Thunder Game 7 Sunday
We get the two best words in sports Sunday, "Game 7," when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Denver Nuggets for their Western Conference Semifinals finale in the 2025 NBA Playoffs at 3:30 p.m. ET. After Denver stole Game 1 in Oklahoma City, the home team has won every game in this series.
Denver's second or third-most important player for Game 7, PF Aaron Gordon, will likely be limited with a strained hamstring. The 2024-25 NBA MVP race is playing out in this series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring a team-best 28.8 points on 51.3% shooting with 7.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. Nikola Jokić is averaging 29.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
Honestly, Nuggets-Thunder Game 7 is a toss-up that I don't want to sink a lot of money into. That said, I'm making a smaller wager on a 5-Leg Same Game Parlay (+1600) with Denver +8, OVER 214, and three player props I'll discuss below. The Nuggets +8 leg is a simple "this is too many points" bet. Denver has covered five of its first six games and has more postseason experience.
Also, this series has been faster-paced than most in the playoffs. For instance, the average pace this postseason is 95.0, whereas the average pace for this series is 99.4. Usually, games slow down as playoff series progress, but Nuggets-Thunder Game 6 had a 102.1 pace. This is part of the reason that five of the first six games in this series have combined for at least 217 points.
Nuggets at Thunder Game 7 ‘SGP’ via DraftKings (+1600)
- Nuggets +8
- OVER 214
- Denver PG Russell Westbrook OVER 11.5 points
- Oklahoma City SG Alex Caruso OVER 1.5 made 3-pointers
- Thunder C Isaiah Hartenstein OVER 2.5 assists
Nuggets PG Russell Westbrook OVER 11.5 points
Westbrook scored 18 and 19 points in the first two games of this series in Oklahoma City. That isn't a coincidence because he'll go into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a Thunder, playing 11 seasons for them, making eight All-Star teams, and winning the 2016-17 NBA MVP. He is familiar with the crowd, OKC staff, and sightlines, so there's a better-than-usual chance he will shoot well Sunday.
Oklahoma City Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets PG Russell Westbrook fight for a loose ball during Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. (Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)
Plus, with Gordon out, the Nuggets will rely on Westbrook more for Game 7. Despite his obvious flaws, Denver's bench isn't deep enough to give anyone else more minutes than Westbrook. Say what you will about Westbrook, but it wouldn't be crazy to see him put up a triple-double. At the minimum, he will play his a** off, fight for the 50/50 balls, and attack the basket, which could get the Thunder into foul trouble.
Thunder SG Alex Caruso OVER 1.5 made 3-pointers
Caruso has made 2+ threes in five of the six games in this series. Ironically, the Thunder's 149-point outburst in Game 2 was the only one Caruso didn't make a 3-pointer in this series. Yet, Oklahoma City didn't need him much and Caruso only played 9:45 minutes in Game 2.
Oklahoma City Thunder SG Alex Caruso shoots a 3-pointer vs. the Denver Nuggets during Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. (Photo credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)
Furthermore, Pinnacle Sportsbook has the Over for Caruso's made 3-pointer juiced up to -128. Pinnacle is a "market-making" oddsmaker that legal sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel copy. Whenever the major recreational sportsbooks differ from Pinnacle, I side with the latter.
Oklahoma City C Isaiah Hartenstein OVER 2.5 assists
Since the Thunder knows they cannot stop Jokic, their best chance of slowing him down is to make him work defensively. The Over for Hartenstein's assist prop is based on that logic. OKC runs a lot of offensive sets through Hartenstein, who is one of the best passing bigs in the NBA.
Hartenstein averages 3.3 assists per game in 23 playoff starts. He's thrown 3+ assists in 15 of those games, including seven of his 10 games in these playoffs, and three times vs. the Nuggets. Hartenstein threw 3+ assists in 41 of his 57 games during the regular season.
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