After a 4-2 series win over the Portland Trail Blazers, they’ll head to Phoenix to face the Suns, a team that just eliminated the Lakers. Both of these teams performed well in their previous series, making the start of this series a must-watch. The only unfortunate factor the Nuggets will have to deal with is the absence of Jamal Murray, but they’ve done well so far.
The Phoenix Suns eliminated the former world champion Los Angeles Lakers after Los Angeles was unable to play as a team and ultimately fell apart. Phoenix, on the other hand, has been playing extremely well as a group led by SG Devin Booker. As they host the Nuggets, they’ll look to continue this cohesive play.
The Suns come in as favorites here but not by a very large margin. They come in as only 4.5-point favorites, with the over/under total set at 219.5. Before placing your bet at the sportsbook, let’s see which team has the best chance of winning on Monday.
Nuggets faired well against Portland, but can they overwhelm the Suns?
On average, the Nuggets allowed 111.0 points over the course of the season. However, in their first series against the Trail Blazers, their defense faltered at moments, once allowing 140-points in a game. Keep in mind they’ll be facing one of the most efficient offenses in the league, led by one of the most impressive shooting guards.
That leaves little to no room for error on the defensive side of the ball; they can’t afford to let the Suns get out to a fast start. They should take some notes from the Suns series versus the Lakers, considering the Lakers kept the Suns under 110-points for the majority of the series. A trend worth noting is that the Nuggets are 8-11 ATS when underdogs.
Fresh off their series win against the Lakers, the Suns face another promising opponent
Phoenix can’t ride the wave of beating Los Angeles for long as their next opponent will be just as strong, if not stronger. A key matchup to watch here will be the two centers, Suns C Deandre Ayton and Nuggets C Nikola Jokic. Both of these players have their strengths as rebounders, but Jokic is also the leading scorer for the Nuggets.
For the Suns to claim game one of this series, Deandre Ayton will need to find a way to defend against Jokic’s ability to score. Considering the Suns don’t have to worry about Jamal Murray, they can put their sole focus on Jokic, who posed a problem for the Trail Blazers.
Nuggets or Suns? Who’s the best team to pick on Monday? Suns -4.5
The Phoenix Suns are a team that was able to handle the Lakers in six games and have a 29-10 home record. They’re also an amazing team to bet on when they’re playing at home and when they’re the favorites.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, are missing key players, especially PG Jamal Murray, and although they faired well against the Trail Blazers, the Suns are a completely different team. They don’t rely solely on one player to score, and they play much better as a team. Take the home team on Monday, especially with such a small spread, Phoenix Suns -4.5.
