Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Prediction
Game Time | 10:00 pm EST |
Phoenix Suns Line | +6.5 |
Denver Nuggets Line | -6.5 |
Total | 233 |
TV: | NBA TV |
Below is a detailed analysis for Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets game.
PREGAME WARM-UP:
In this all-Western battle between two teams with the same amount of wins this season, the Denver Nuggets are hosting the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets are on their second leg of a back-to-back and are coming off a shocking defeat in Portland that snapped their previous three-game winning streak. The Suns are also coming off two consecutive losses, following a two-game winning streak, and are back on the road, where they have not been playing their best basketball of the season.
Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Prediction
Denver Nuggets Injury Report: Dario Saric is questionable, Daron Holmes and Vlatko Cancar are out
Phoenix Suns Injury Report: Ryan Dunn is day-to-day, Jusuf Nurkic, Kevin Durant, Collin Gillespie is out
Denver Nuggets Form and Trends
The Nuggets have a 14-11 record this season and are sitting on the 6th place of the West. Denver is 10-14-1 against the spread and 16-8-1 in over/under. The Nuggets have a 7-4 home record but are 4-6-1 against the spread with a +1.9-point differential. Denver is 3-1 in their last 4 games. Over is 4-1-1 in their last 6 games.
Denver is coming off a 124-125 loss in Portland, even they shot much better than the Blazers from the field (54% to 46%). Nikola Jokic led Denver’s offense with 34 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, as he failed to reach double digits in rebounding for the second time in his last three games.
Jokic leads Denver in scoring with an average of 31 points, in rebounding with 13 and in assists made with 9.8. Jamal Murray adds 18.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
Phoenix Suns Recent Form and Trends
The Suns have a 14-13 record this season and are tied with the Timberwolves on the 10th place of the West. The Suns 9-18 against the spread and 16-11 in over/under. Phoenix has a 5-7 road record, and are 5-7 against the spread with a -3.3-point differential. The Suns are 2-5 in their last 7 games and 1-6 against the spread. Over is 5-2 in their last 7 games.
The Suns are coming off a 125-133 loss by Detroit, even though they shot with 58% from the field and 48% from beyond the arc. All of Phoenix’s starters scored double digits, led by Kevin Durant with a game-high 43 points with 4 triples, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
Durant leads the Suns in scoring with 27.4 points, adding 6.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Devin Booker adds 25.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists.
Statistical Breakdown
Offensively, the Nuggets are averaging 119.4 points per game, which is the fourth-best in the NBA. Denver shoots with 49.6% from the field, which is the third-best in the NBA, and with 38.3% from beyond the arc, which is the fifth-best in the league. Defensively, they are allowing 116 points per game, which ranks 22nd in the NBA.
Offensively, the Suns average 114.3 points per game, which ranks 12th in the NBA. Phoenix shoots with 47.5% from the field (9th), and with 38.4% from beyond the arc (5th). Defensively, the Suns allow 115.1 points per game, which is 21st in the league.
Both teams are tied 5-5 wins in their last 10 meetings, but the Suns have back-to-back wins in Denver, covering the spread in both. Under is 4-1 in their last 5 meetings.
Prediction
In this Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, the Nuggets are coming as -6.5 home favorites. The Nuggets are below average at home and the Suns below average on the road. The Nuggets are on the second leg of a back-to-back, but this is not enough to make a case for the Suns as road dogs. Both teams have been involved in higher scoring games recently, as they are 9-3-1 to the over in their last 14 games combined. Both teams are top-12 in the league offensively, while being on the bottom-10 defensively. They have also been very effective with their shooting, as they both are top-10 in field goal percentage and top-5 in 3-point percentage. I expect a high scoring affair tonight, so take the over the point total. Nick’s Pick: Over 233
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