The road has not been the most friendly place for the Nuggets early in this NBA season. The team is just 4-4 straight up (SU) and 3-5 against the spread (ATS) away from Denver. In fact, the Nuggets snapped a three-game losing streak on the road four days ago with a close win at Minnesota.

Once the best team in terms of defensive efficiency, Denver now ranks seventh in that category and has allowed 1.076 points per possession over its past three games, which is 14th in NBA over that span. It is no surprise the team is just 2-6 SU and ATS in its past eight games.

Waiting for the struggling Nuggets will be the new team atop the defensive efficiency rankings — the Thunder. Russell Westbrook and his teammates defeated Golden State the night before Thanksgiving, Oklahoma City’s 11th win in 13 games and 10th cover in that span.

While the Thunder did lose Hamidou Diallo to an injury in the win over the Warriors, they still have plenty of athletic ability and scoring to make up for his absence. It is the back end of a back-to-back for both teams, but with Denver’s recent struggles and the good run for the Thunder, expect Oklahoma City to be focused on an all-important meeting with a Western Conference foe.

The play: Thunder, -5