Nuggets vs. Suns Predictions: Game 2 for Western Conference Semifinals

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The Western Conference top-seeded Denver Nuggets looked like the best team in the West when it beat No. 4 Phoenix in the opener of their conference semifinal series. Game 2 is tonight again in Denver with the Nuggets favored on the NBA odds.

Suns vs. Nuggets, Game 2 | 2023 NBA Expert Analysis

How to Bet Phoenix at Denver NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 10 PM ET
Where: Ball Arena
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Nuggets -4.5 (total 227)

Why Bet on Phoenix?

The Suns couldn’t keep up in Game 1 with Denver, losing 125-107. Kevin Durant shot 12-of-19 from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line to finish with 29 points and 14 rebounds. At first glance, a double-double that includes 29 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks would constitute a good night. However, Durant was also responsible for a game-high seven turnovers, two shy of his career high. In the Suns’ first-round series against the Clippers, he had two games with five or more turnovers. Durant (4,730) is 32 points away from surpassing Karl Malone (4,761) for 7th on the NBA’s alltime playoff scoring list.

Devin Booker had 27 points, and eight assists. Booker did most of his offensive damage in the mid-range, which was the case for the Suns in general. While Phoenix shot 51.2% from the field overall, they went 7-of-23 from three and were outscored by a 48-21 margin in that category. Booker ranks second in the NBA in scoring (35.5 PPG) in these playoffs while shooting a career-best 59.1 FG% and ranking second in the league in postseason steals per game at 2.3 .

Deandre Ayton made seven of his 11 shots from the field to finish with 14 points and seven rebounds. Chris Paul will also need to step up, as he accounted for just 11 points and five assists.

“We know we have to be more physical and play with more urgency,” said head coach Monty Williams. “Our (urgency) scale is from 7-10. We don’t go 1-10, we say 7-10 and I thought we were below seven last night when it comes to playing with force and urgency even in transition. Our urgency wasn’t where it needed to be and that falls on my shoulders.”

The Suns hold an all-time record of 25-37 in Game 2s of the NBA Playoffs, including an 6-26 record in Game 2s on the road, while sitting at 60-55 all-time (21-37 on the road) in Western Conference Semifinals games.

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Why Bet on Denver?

Nikola Jokic played 33 minutes in Saturday’s 125-107 win and had 24 points, 19 rebounds and five assists. Jokic did most of his work in the paint during Game 1, with 19 of his 21 field goal attempts coming from that part of the court. He didn’t convert at a particularly high rate, but the two-time MVP made up for that by grabbing a game-high 19 rebounds. And Denver, which has struggled in the past when Jokic rests, pulled away during the second quarter when he was on the bench. The Nuggets are 9-1 in the playoffs when Jokic is perfect from the free throw line with 5+ attempts.

Aaron Gordon shot 9-of-13 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line to finish with 23 points and six rebounds. Gordon got it done on both ends of the floor in Denver’s series-opening win, stepping up as a quality supplementary scorer and defending Kevin Durant for most of the night. Durant shot the ball well and scored 29 points, but he was also responsible for seven of the Suns’ 16 turnovers. Fourteen of those miscues were of the live-ball variety, which factored into the Nuggets being a plus-11 in points off of turnovers.

Jamal Murray had 34 points, nine assists and five rebounds and is now averaging 28.3 points per game on 48.4 percent from the field across. Game 1 was Murray’s first career playoff game with 34+ points, 5+ rebounds, 9+ assists and 2+ steals. Murray also had a playoff season-high tying six three-pointers and 13 field goals. The Nuggets are 5-1 in the playoffs when Murray has 6+ threes.

Three Nuggets scored 23+ points (Murray, Jokic and Gordon), the 10th time ever and third time since 1989 in Nuggets playoff franchise history that three Nuggets scored 23+ points in a single playoff game. Denver went 16-37 from deep, moving to 7-1 all-time in the playoffs when making 16+ three-pointers in a playoff game.

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Game Trends

Suns are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games. Suns are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss. Nuggets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games. Nuggets are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. Suns are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Denver. Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.