The Phoenix Suns (58-14) are currently riding a five-game winning streak and running away with the lead atop the Western Conference standings, as the Golden State Warriors have hit a tough patch and slipped behind. The Suns face the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road on Wednesday before heading to the Mile High City to take on the Denver Nuggets (43-30) who ended a two-game skid with a 127-115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. The Nuggets are in sixth in the west, just a game ahead of Minnesota in one of the six slots that are safe from the play-in tournament. So they need the win a lot more than the Suns, who lead second-seeded Memphis by nine games. As you plan your NBA online betting for the rest of the week, check out our preview of this matchup.
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets (Thursday, March 24)
When: Thursday, March 24, 2022, 9:00 pm ET
Where: Ball Arena, Denver
TV: NBA TV
Radio: KTAR 98.7 FM Phoenix / KKSE 92.5 FM Denver
Live Stream: Sling TV
Why should you bet on the Suns?
Phoenix’s five-game winning streak has included a 29-point rout of the Lakers, a 16-point win on the road against a surging New Orleans Pelicans team, and a 27-point home thrashing of the Chicago Bulls. They struggled on the defensive end a bit against Sacramento on Sunday but still won in overtime, 127-124. In that game, Devin Booker, who had 31 points – including 19 in the third quarter – fouled out for Phoenix, and Damian Jones put Sacramento up by one with a putback dunk. Landry Shamet missed from 25 feet, but then the Suns got an offensive rebound and called a timeout. On the next play, he buried an open three-ball with 31 seconds left in the extra frame to seal the win, giving him 21 points on the night.
Mikal Bridges had 27 points for the Suns. Center Deandre Ayton put up a dozen points and 10 boards but fouled out in the fourth quarter. His backup, JaVale McGee, scored 14 but fouled out in overtime. The team was already missing Chris Paul (fractured thumb), Cam Johnson (quad) and Cam Payne (non COVID-19 illness). Jae Crowder had to leave with a foot injury in the third quarter, so this win was definitely a gritty effort.
Why should you put your money on the Nuggets?
In 2018, Forbes conducted a study to see if Denver’s home court advantage was greater than the league average. After all, the Nuggets play at 5,280 feet above sea level, so the air is thinner and opponents fatigue more easily. From the 2015-16 season through the 2017-18 season, the average winning percentage for all of the NBA’s home teams was .584, and the average road winning percentage was .416, which means that teams played 16.7% better at home. Over that same stretch, Denver won at a .577 clip at home and at a .390 clip on the road, a differential of 18.7%. That gap of two percent might seem small but could add 1-2 wins to the Nuggets’ record each year. If you look at the standings, you see that this can be a crucial difference. Add to this the fact that the Suns will have played the night before and then traveled to Denver, then the advantage grows even further.
In their Tuesday night win over the Clippers, the Nuggets saw Nikola Jokic recover from a poor outing from the field in his prior game, as he put up 30 points. All in all, seven Nuggets found double figures, including all five starters as well as bench players Austin Rivers and Bones Hyland. The Nuggets had dropped four of six, including a 20-point home loss to Boston on Sunday that saw Jokic miss 15 shots. Against the Clippers, he was 9 of 15 from the floor and made 12 of 13 free throws, and he also grabbed 14 boards. With a night off, the Nuggets should be rested and ready for the Suns.
Final Score and Prediction
Denver needs the win more; they have more players healthy; they get this game at home with Phoenix staggering into high altitude on the second night of a back-to-back. I see Denver taking advantage of these factors and winning, 118-110.
NBA Betting Odds
Love betting NBA basketball? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date NBA lines
