OKLAHOMA CITY AT DENVER, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, TNT, 950 AM
Spotlight on Carmelo Anthony: The former Nuggets star returns to Denver for his first regular-season game as a division rival, after being traded from the to the Thunder just before training camp began. He is now part of Oklahoma City’s new “Big 3” with reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and All-Star Paul George, whom the Thunder acquired in a trade with the during the offseason. Anthony is averaging 20.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the floor.
Notebook
Thunder: This much-hyped team has stumbled out of the gate, losing three in a row to the , Portland Trail Blazers and to drop to 4-6 through 10 games. However, five of those losses are by single digits, creating the NBA’s third-best overall net rating (6.6) entering Wednesday. … A season after averaging a triple-double, Westbrook is flirting with that type of stat line again with 20.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game. … The Thunder entered Wednesday ranked second in the league in scoring defense (97 points allowed per game) and defensive rating (96.9) but 23rd in scoring with 102.4 points per game.
Nuggets: Denver has won five of its last seven games and is 3-1 on its season-long six-game homestand. … The Nuggets entered Wednesday in the top 12 in the NBA in scoring (106.5 points per game), field-goal percentage (45.9) and 3-point field-goal percentage (36.7). … Denver’s defense is giving up 41.5 points in the paint per game (10th in the NBA entering Wednesday) but is allowing opponents to shoot 39.1 percent from 3-point distance (28th in the NBA). … has recently shown his value as a two-way player, shooting 45.3 from beyond the arc on the season and corralling six steals in Tuesday’s win over the . … is one of the NBA’s top bench players, averaging 14.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game while playing both guard positions and small forward.
