Booker Injury Latest Concern for Suns Ahead of Nuggets Visit
Suns vs Nuggets Lines: Phoenix 1-5 ATS Over Last Six Games
The Denver Nuggets still have plenty to prove, but as we hit the homestretch of the NBA regular season, the defending champions remain among the teams to beat. Thanks to the brilliance of All-Star center Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have weathered a slew of NBA injuries to start 42-19.
Things haven’t gone as well for the Phoenix Suns, who visit Denver on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET). Denver opened as a 7.5-point favorite, with the Over/Under projected at 223.5.
What should bettors know? Read on as we break down both teams and assess the Suns vs Nuggets lines in our NBA game preview.
Suns vs Nuggets 
Day/Time:
Location: Ball Arena; Denver
Streaming: TNT
Suns vs Nuggets Betting Trends
The Phoenix Suns are 24-35-2 ATS, including just 12-15-1 away from home. Phoenix’s games have trended toward the Under, as the Suns are 27-34 against the Over/Under. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are 27-32-2 ATS, including 14-14-1 at home. The Nuggets are also only 23-37-1 against the Over/Under.
Be sure to keep these betting trends in mind when assessing the Suns vs Nuggets lines.
Booker Banged Up
Inconsistency continues to plague the Suns, losers of two straight and four of their last six games. Injuries aren’t helping.
The Suns are coming off a 118-110 loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday, during which they were without guard Devin Booker (ankle). Jusuf Nurkic broke a franchise record with 31 rebounds, the most in an NBA game in 14 years. Ultimately, however, he was merely a footnote in yet another underwhelming effort for the Western Conference contenders.
Phoenix had just gotten back Bradley Beal from a strained hamstring when Booker sprained his ankle in Saturday’s 118-109 loss to Houston. Phoenix’s Big Three of Booker, Beal and Kevin Durant has now combined to miss 47 games, with Beal accounting for over half of those absences.
Now 35-26, the Suns must pick up the pace to avoid the postseason play-in tournament. They are seventh in the Western Conference, but just two games separate the No. 5-8 seeds.
Despite that uncertainty, oddsmakers remain bullish on Phoenix. The Suns are +900 to win the West and +1800 to win the NBA Finals, the fifth-shortest title odds on the board. The Suns — projected for 51.5 regular-season wins — will need to get healthy to cash in.
Booker, averaging 27.5 points and 6.8 assists, is reportedly expected to miss at least a week. Coach Frank Vogel said he would have an update on Booker prior to Tuesday.
Phoenix has failed to cover in five of its last six games and is just 24-35-2. Its 40.7% cover rate is the second lowest in the NBA, ahead of Atlanta (31.7%). That is important to remember when analyzing the Suns vs Nuggets lines.
Nuggets Hitting Their Stride
As the calendar flips to March, Denver is rounding into form. The Denver Nuggets have won six straight games to remain in contention for the West’s No. 1 seed.
Denver (42-19) is coming off a 124-114 victory over the Lakers on Saturday. The Nuggets, 1-point favorites, got 35 points and 10 rebounds from Nikola Jokic. They shot 58.7% from the floor, including 11 of 26 on 3-pointers.
Jokic is now averaging 25.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 9.2 assists. His 19 triple-doubles are second in the NBA to Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis (21). As such, Jokic has distanced himself as a -155 favorite to win his third MVP award.
Denver sits third in the West, but only a half-game separates the top three seeds. Oddsmakers clearly like the Nuggets’ chances of outlasting the field, pricing them as +230 favorites to win the West and +450 to defend their NBA title. At the moment, only the Celtics (+230) are bigger favorites.
The Nuggets are among the league’s most efficient teams, ranking fourth in shooting percentage (49.3) and fifth in turnover rate (11.9 per game). They also have a top 10 point differential at plus-4.2.
While the Nuggets are 5-1 ATS over their last six games, they have covered in 45.8% of their games this season. That pits them as one of the 10 worst teams ATS. Additionally, they have gone Under the total in an NBA, leading 62.3% of their games. Bettors should make note of that for their NBA predictions.
Handicapping the Game
This is the second of three regular-season meetings between these NBA teams. Denver won 119-111 in Phoenix on Dec. 1. Jurkic scored 31 points to pace the Suns without Booker (ankle) and Beal (back). Notably, the Nuggets were down Jamal Murry (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (heel).
Booker and Murray are both unlikely to play in this game, either.
Those absences will bring even more attention to Durant and Jokic, one of the NBA’s triple-double leaders. The Nuggets are 24-5 at home, including 14-14-1 ATS, and should have a decent advantage thanks to the thin air of Ball Arena.
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