The Western Conference Semifinals are set to begin Monday, May 5, pitting the Denver Nuggets against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The matchup features two players expected to finish at the top of the voting for the NBA MVP award.
Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder are finalists for the NBA MVP 2025 award, given for performance during the regular season. Jokic is seeking his fourth MVP trophy, while Gilgeous-Alexander is aiming for his first. Jokic averaged a triple-double over the season, a feat accomplished by few players in league history. Gilgeous-Alexander won the league scoring title while leading the Thunder to the best regular season record.
The Nuggets advanced to the second round by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games. The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in their first-round series. The Thunder have had a week off heading into the series, while the Nuggets had one day break after their decisive Game 7 victory.
The Nuggets vs Thunder series begins at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Monday. Here is the schedule for the second-round series.
The teams split their four regular season meetings, 2-2. The last time the teams met on March 10, the Nuggets won with a strong offensive performance. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points in a separate contest against the Nuggets this season.
Before Game 1, Charles Barkley offered a forecast for the series.
Barkley stated he is picking the Thunder to win the series.
He pointed to Oklahoma City's bench strength as a potential deciding factor, saying the Thunder likely have the best bench in the NBA.
"I'm not leaning, I'm going OKC," Barkley said. "I have not seen anything in the Western Conference to make me think anybody can beat OKC."
