Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets: A rematch of last year’s second playoff round

The Phoenix Suns are visiting the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on Wednesday.

The Suns have fallen out of the top six in the West

The Phoenix Suns are eighth in the Western Conference with a 42-30 record. After winning three consecutive games, they lost 104–102 to the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns are fourth in the league, shooting 49.6% from the field, and fifth, shooting 38.1% from three-point territory. Kevin Durant leads the team with 27.6 points per game, followed by Devin Booker with 27.4.

The Nuggets are on top of the West

The Denver Nuggets are the top seed in the Western Conference with a 51-21 record. They have won the last four games and are coming off a 128-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Nuggets are fifth in the league, shooting 49.6% from the field, and are ranked dead last with 30.8 three-point attempts per game. Nikola Jokic is the frontrunner to win the MVP award, averaging 26.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 9 assists per game.

Betting Trends

The Nuggets have won 6 of the last 7 games against the Suns and are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 games against them. Denver is 4-2 ATS in the last six games played on Wednesday. Phoenix is 4-2 ATS in the last six games overall and 3-7 ATS in the last ten games on the road.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both teams look like legit contenders to win this season, but only the Nuggets can prove that with their play on the court. The defensive champions have picked up the pace, recently winning nine of the last ten games, and have come up on top of the West with only ten games left on the regular season schedule. The Suns are having a rollercoaster season as they have played well most of the time and then lost to some of the worst teams in the league, like they did in the last game against the Spurs. There is no doubt that the Suns have the offensive weapons to go against anybody in the league, but the Nuggets are playing well in every aspect of the game and will prove that once again with a win covering the -5-point spread tonight.