4 Oklahoma City Thunder (55-27) vs. 5 Denver Nuggets (50-32)
Inside the Series
Season Series: OKC (3-1)
Scoring Leaders: Kevin Durant (OKC): 27.9 PPG
Danilo Gallinari (DEN): 14.7 PPG
Assist Leaders: Russell Westbrook (OKC): 8.2 APG
Raymond Felton (DEN): 6.5 APG
Rebounding Leaders: Kendrick Perkins (OKC): 8.0 RPG
Nene Hilario (DEN): 7.6 RPG
Key Players
Oklahoma City: C Kendrick Perkins
The Nuggets rank 11th in rebounds and 1st in points per game. Perkins needs to rip down the boards to prevent the Nuggets from hitting on second chance points.
Denver: F Wilson Chandler
Chandler will be coming off the bench but will have the unfortunate assignment of guarding Kevin Durant. If Chandler can somehow hold down Durant, Denver will have a great shot at pulling this one off.
Key Matchup
Kendrick Perkins vs. Nene Hilario
Should be a great battle between two big men who play for two great rebounding squads. Both are extremely tough and both need to step their play up to give their respective team the advantage on the boards.
Prediction
Game 1: Denver 107, Oklahoma City 116
Game 2: Denver 98, Oklahoma City 105
Game 3: Oklahoma City 94, Denver 106
Game 4: Oklahoma City 87, Denver 91
Game 5: Denver 90, Oklahoma City 99
Game 6: Oklahoma City 112, Denver 108
Oklahoma City wins 4-2
OKC's toughness will ultimately trump the pride of the Nuggets. Denver proved they are still legit without Carmelo, but the Thunder seemed poised to make a deep run.
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