Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns Betting Preview/Player Prop
09 June 2021
Denver advanced to the Western Conference Finals a season ago, but they will have to pull off an upset to get there again. The Nuggets advanced past the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round but will have to steal a game on the road in this series.
Phoenix eliminated the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in Round 1, and that has given this team plenty of confidence. The Suns are the number two seed in the West, and they went 27-9 at home during the regular season.
The Suns are six-point favorites in Game 2 of the series on Wednesday.
The Joker Needs Help
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named the MVP of the regular season, and he has carried his team so far in the playoffs. “The Joker” is averaging 31.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this postseason, but the Suns have some size to throw at him.
Michael Porter Jr. has averaged 18.3 points per game during this run, but Denver continues to look for more scoring. The Nuggets are without Jamal Murray, and that takes away another great scoring option.
Denver has been a dominant defensive team over the last few seasons, and that needs to play a role in this series. The Nuggets are not going to win many games in this series if they allow 122 points.
Phoenix Playing With Pace
When the Phoenix Suns are playing well, they are doing it by playing with plenty of pace. Veteran Chris Paul sets the tone for this offense, and he is always capable of a triple-double at any time.
Devin Booker is averaging more than 28 points per game this postseason, and he took over the final game against Los Angeles. If Booker is making shots from deep, then he is nearly impossible to stop.
The Suns have actually been a better defensive team than Denver this season, and that defense allowed them to take control of Game 1 of the series.
Suns Blow Out Nuggets
Denver wants to try to win this game with its defense, but that is a near-impossible task against a team like the Suns. Phoenix is a much deeper team, and they are going to use that depth to try to wear down the Nuggets.
Denver is going to win some games in this series, but those wins will mostly come at home. The Nuggets just don’t have enough scoring to keep up, and they are going to fall into a big hole in this series.
The Suns just don’t lose at home, and they are playing with enough confidence to be a real problem for the Nuggets. Bet the Phoenix Suns -6.0 as they take complete control of this game and series with another dominating performance.
Player Prop
Total Points: Chris Paul (-113) Over 15.5
When Paul injured his shoulder in Game 1 of the Suns’ first round series against the Lakers, it looked like his and the team’s season could be over.
But the 36-year-old point guard struggled to overcome the injury and the Suns – led by Devin Booker’s hot hand – put the defending champs away in six games.
With that series behind him, Paul now looks ready to contribute in a big way. His 36 minutes in Game 1 against the Nuggets was the most he’d logged since Game 1 against the Lakers. And his 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting (including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc) showed no lingering effects from the shoulder injury.
As the Suns look to extend their strong postseason run tonight, we’ll take Chris Paul (-113) to continue his hot hand and go over 15.5 points.
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