The Denver Nuggets, a team many flet would be a surprise contender in the Western Conference Playoffs, face elimination, again, this evening as they take on the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Tonight's Game 5 clash is scheduled to tip off at 9:30pm ET at the Oklahoma City Arena; the game will be broadcast live on TNT. NBA Point Spreads have the Thunder listed as a -7 NBA Playoff Picks favorite in tonight's contest. The game total is set at 204 with both the Over and Under drawing -110.
Denver shook off its disappointing 0-3 start to this series on Monday night as it avoided elimination with a 104-101 victory 
at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets shot a miserable 38.6 percent from the field in the win, but they still managed to get six players in double figures.
Ty Lawson scored a game high 27 points for Denver while fellow starters Nene, Danilo Gallinari, and Kenyon Martin combined for 41 points, 24 rebounds, and six assists.
Denver, which scored 31 points on 44 attempts from the charity stripe, forced the Thunder into 15 turnovers and 44.3 percent shooting from the field.
Oklahoma City, the playoffs' highest scoring team at 102.8 points per game, got 31 points and 30 points from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook respectively. Serge Ibaka was the only other Thunder player to reach double figures in scoring as he tallied 13 points and 14 rebounds in 37 minutes of action.
Durant connected on 8-of-18 from the field and was nearly perfect from the free throw line, where he knocked down 10 of his 11 attempts. Westbrook, who snagged five offensive rebounds in the loss, hoisted a game high 30 shot attempts. The UCLA product went 0-for-7 from long range.
Oklahoma City has won six of the last eight in this series, including its last four hosting the Nuggets. Denver's last victory at Oklahoma City came in April of 2010 when it dumped the Thunder 98-94 as a 2.5 road dog. OKC is 4-1-1 against the spread in its last six meetings with George Karl's squad.
Nuggets vs Thunder Game 5 Odds 2011 NBA Playoff Picks:
Denver Nuggets +7 (-110), Over 204 (-110), +260 (Moneyline)
Oklahoma City Thunder -7 (-110), Under 204 (-110), -320 (Moneyline)
