Thunder vs. Nuggets prediction: NBA odds, picks, best bets Wednesday

The Nuggets host the Thunder on Wednesday night in a rematch of their season opener as Denver looks to build on its two-game winning streak. While the Nuggets are 4-1 in their last five games, a closer look reveals that they’ve benefited from a softer schedule, with victories over the Raptors (two), Nets and Jazz, three teams with a combined 7-16 record.They’ll now step up in class against a Thunder team that, at 7-0, has yet to taste defeat. The cat is firmly out of the bag with the Thunder, as they’re no longer the best-kept secret across the NBA landscape. In the previous campaign, Oklahoma City won 57 games, going Over its win total of 44.5 while finishing as the No.1 seed in the Western Conference.This season, the Thunder opened with a win total of 57.5, and given their hot start, that number looks like a bargain.OKC managed to keep the core of its roster intact while bringing in Alex Caruso at shooting guard via trade and signing free-agent center Isaiah Hartenstein. Caruso and Hartenstein provide the Thunder with elite defending in the backcourt and frontcourt. Although the center has yet to feature this season due to a hand injury, OKC’s 93.8 Defensive Rating is more than eight points better than the Warriors, who rank second in the category.Like the Thunder, Denver finished with 57 wins in the previous campaign but had to settle for the second seed in the West after losing the head-to-head tiebreaker (3-1) against OKC. Unfortunately, their success in the regular season didn’t transfer into the playoffs, as they got somewhat exposed due to their lack of a third superstar and a bench deprived of any real depth.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson, the few bench players the Nuggets could count on, have moved on to other teams.While Denver hopes to fill that void with Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric, there are still plenty of questions about the overall quality at this stage in their careers.Westbrook has become one of the league’s w...