(Sports Network) - The red-hot Denver Nuggets shoot for their eighth consecutive win tonight and hope to inch closer to the Northwest Division crown when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Denver, which is 2 1/2 games ahead of Portland in the Northwest with just four games to play, is also aiming for its ninth consecutive victory at the Pepsi Center and a season sweep of Oklahoma City.

The Nuggets can secure the division title with a win tonight coupled with a Portland loss at San Antonio.

Most recently the Nuggets waxed Minnesota in the Twin Cities on Sunday when Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead a balanced attack, as Denver scored a 110-87 drubbing of the Timberwolves.

Chauncey Billups added 17 points and seven assists for the Nuggets, who have now won seven straight games for the first time since earning eight in a row from April 1-13, 2007. Linas Kleiza and J.R. Smith ended with 14 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench. Nene finished with 12 points and seven boards.

The Nuggets played without forward Kenyon Martin for a second consecutive game in Minneapolis. Martin suffered a rib injury in Thursday's win over Utah and is questionable for tonight's game.

Denver is also 1 1/2 games ahead of San Antonio for the second seed in the West.

The Thunder, meanwhile, lost for the 10th time in 13 tries on Tuesday when Tim Duncan had game-highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds, as the Spurs reached the 50-win plateau for the 10th consecutive season with a 99-89 victory over Oklahoma City at Ford Center.

The Thunder were paced by Kevin Durant, who had 24 points, seven boards, and six assists.

Jeff Green added 16 points for Oklahoma City, which finished a three-game homestand with an 0-3 record. Thabo Sefolosha tallied 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Russell Westbrook finished with 10 points in defeat.



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