The Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets duke it out in Game 1 at the Ball Arena on Saturday night.
The Phoenix Suns are coming into this series with plenty of momentum after taking down the Clippers in a 4-1 series win in the first round. Devin Booker is leading the team in scoring with averages of 37.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, Kevin Durant is averaging 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, Deandre Ayton is averaging 16.0 points and 11.2 rebounds per game while Chris Paul is averaging 13.6 points and 8.2 assists per game. As a team, the Suns are scoring 122 points per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are coming into this series in similar form after beating the Timberwolves in five games in the first round. Jamal Murray has been leading the team in scoring with 27.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, Nikola Jokic is averaging 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 16.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while Aaron Gordon is averaging 13.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. As a team, the Nuggets are scoring 114.2 points per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from the 3-point line.
Looking at the betting trends, the Suns are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against a team above .600 and 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games playing on three or more days rest. The Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games and 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against a team with a winning record.
Head to head, the Suns are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings in Denver.
The Suns were able to cruise past the shorthanded Clippers with ease in the first round, but they were always heavy favorites against a Clippers team missing their two best players in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Nuggets had a little tougher against the Timberwolves, but they got the job done in five games and are starting this series with home-court advantage which is massive in what should be a close contest. We should be in for a close series as these teams met four times in the regular season, with three of those games being decided by single digits. You can make an argument for either side here, but the Nuggets are always tough to beat at home and I think they draw first blood in this series with a narrow win and cover in this spot.
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
