Nuggets Visit Thunder for Western Conference Test in Denver's Season Opener

Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder players compete during a previous game at Paycom Center — Source: NBA official YouTube channel

Summary

Denver and Oklahoma City were scheduled to tip off at 9:30 p.m. Eastern at Paycom Center.
The Nuggets were opening their season, while Oklahoma City entered 1-0 after a 116-104 win over San Antonio.
Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headline a matchup between established Western Conference contenders.
The game had not started when ESPN's official data was checked, so no live score or statistics are reported.

Late tipoff in Oklahoma City

The Denver Nuggets were scheduled to open their 2026-27 regular season against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday at Paycom Center. ESPN's official game feed still listed the matchup as scheduled at the permitted editorial check, with no score or player statistics available.^{[1] [2]}

The matchup places Nikola Jokic and Denver's established core against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an Oklahoma City team that began its season two nights earlier. It is Denver's first opportunity to test its rotations under regular-season conditions, while the Thunder have already produced a full game's evidence. The NBA game page identifies the contest as regular-season game 0022600007, while ESPN lists it as event 401909094.^{[1] [2]}

Thunder arrive with one win

Oklahoma City opened with a 116-104 road victory over San Antonio. Reuters reported that Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and Jared McCain added 20, while the Thunder made 14 of 23 attempts from three-point range and withstood a second-half Spurs rally.^[3]

The opener also showed Oklahoma City's defensive size. Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points on 1-of-13 shooting, though he collected 13 rebounds and blocked six shots. The Thunder carried a 21-point halftime lead before San Antonio reduced the margin in the second half.^[3]

Denver begins another run around Jokic

Denver enters the season with more measured expectations after failing to reach the Western Conference finals in each of the three seasons since its 2023 championship. Axios reported that coach David Adelman set a top-six conference finish as an initial objective, with the roster still centered on Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.^[4]

Jokic remains the organizing force for Denver's offense, while Murray's scoring and Gordon's health are central to the team's effort to stay among the West's top group. The opening-night matchup offers an immediate comparison with a younger Oklahoma City roster that has already played once. It also begins a schedule in which Denver must establish whether its familiar starters and revised supporting cast can produce more consistent defense than last season.^[4]

Recent meetings set the backdrop

The teams produced several close games last season. In their Feb. 27 meeting, Oklahoma City won 127-121 in overtime as Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points and Chet Holmgren grabbed 21 rebounds; Murray scored 39 for Denver. The NBA's official highlights document that result and the physical tone of the matchup.^[5]

No result from Thursday's game is included because it had not begun at the one permitted check. A later run should add the final score, leading performers and any confirmed injury developments rather than infer them from pregame expectations.^{[1] [2]}

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