Three of the four games were missing key players, so those results don’t hold much weight. Both teams won their respective games at home, splitting the season matchup 2-2. Including the playoffs, the Nuggets are 37-7 straight up and 27-16-1 ATS at home this season. Even filtering out games that Booker and Paul both played, they were a mediocre 11-9 straight up and 10-9-1 ATS on the road, per the Sports Data Query Language at Gimme the Dog. The Suns were not a strong road team this season. This will not cut it against a much better Nuggets offense. However, it is more concerning that their defense was so poor against the Clippers without Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Booker erupted in this series with an amazing individual performance, averaging 37.2 points per game. Granted, Durant has only played 13 games in a Suns uniform, and they are figuring it out as they go. His presence should really help with the backcourt.įinally, despite having three dominant stars, the Suns didn’t appear to be in sync on offense until later in the series. Back-up point guard Cameron Payne came back later in the series, but only played three minutes in Game 5. Josh Okogie was the only non-starter getting consistent minutes in the rotation. That highlights another issue - Phoenix lacks depth on its roster, and it is obvious head coach Monty Williams doesn’t have much trust in the bench. That likely isn’t sustainable for three injury-prone players. Both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant exceeded the 40-minutes mark in all five games in the first round and 37-year old Chris Paul wasn’t that far behind. First, their stars are playing an incredible amount of minutes. Suns Game 1.ĭespite a 4-1 series victory against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, there are a few concerning observations about the Suns. Here’s a look at the odds, as well as a betting pick and prediction for Nuggets vs. The Nuggets are 2.5-point favorites at home for this Game 1, but the Suns are favored for the series. Their midseason trade for Kevin Durant quickly got everyone back on the bandwagon, but they haven’t had much time on the court to build rapport with one another. The Suns, marred by injuries all season long, had a disappointing regular season according to their standards. Despite questions of their depth and defense, they still emerged as the No. Nikola Jokic, the reigning two-time MVP, has led the Nuggets to a dominating season. This is set up to be the most competitive and compelling series this round. Our journey into the conference semifinals begins on Saturday as the Denver Nuggets host the Phoenix Suns for Game 1.
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