Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns Prediction, 5/5/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns

Date: Friday, May 5, 2023

Location: Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Denver (+6)

The Denver Nuggets are traveling to Footprint Center on Friday where they will meet the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 of their series. The Nuggets lead 2-0. Denver is 6-point underdogs. The over/under is 225.5.

The Nuggets took home the win by a score of 97-87 in Game 2. When discussing personal fouls, the Nuggets ended up finishing with 16 and the Suns totaled 25 personal fouls. They knocked down 6 out of their 31 tries from beyond the perimeter. Phoenix ended up shooting 100.0% at the charity stripe by converting 5 of their 5 attempts. Moreover, Phoenix collected 39 rebounds (11 offensive, 28 defensive) and got 6 blocks. Phoenix distributed 23 assists and had 2 steals for the contest. When talking about defending, Denver allowed their opponent to shoot 40.0% from the floor on 38 out of 95 shooting. They also distributed 19 assists for this contest in addition to forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 5 steals. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they collected 41 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Nuggets knocked down 18 of 21 shots for a percentage of 85.7%. Denver finished the game having earned a 47.4% FG percentage (36 out of 76) and knocked down 7 out of their 27 3-point shots.

Nikola Jokic is a guy who was a major factor in this game. He recorded 39 points on 17 out of 30 shooting. He saw the court for 41 mins played and also totaled 16 boards. Jokic finished the contest at 56.7% from the field and also distributed 5 assists.

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Denver steps onto the court with a record of 53-29 for the season. They are averaging 115.8 points per contest (12th in basketball) while connecting on 50.4% from the field. The Nuggets are connecting on 37.9% on 3-point shots (969 of 2,559) and 75.1% from the charity stripe. As a team, Denver is pulling down 43.0 boards per game and has accounted for 2,368 dimes for the campaign, which is 2nd in the league in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 14.5 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 18.6 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Nuggets are forcing 13.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.5 personal fouls. They are 16th in basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 2,105 surrendered on the season. The Nuggets are giving up a shooting percentage of 47.8% (3,423 of 7,166) and they concede 40.8 boards per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 34.4% on 3-point attempts and they are 8th in basketball in points per game allowed (112.5).

In relation to cleaning up the glass in Game 2, Phoenix permitted Denver to pull down 41 overall (5 offensive). They went 25.9% from distance by shooting 7 out of 27 and walked away from this one shooting 18 of 21 at the free throw line (85.7%). The Suns permitted the Nuggets to convert 36 of their 76 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.4% in this contest. Overall, the Suns shot 38 out of 95 from the floor which had them sitting at 40.0%. In relation to shots from beyond the arc, Phoenix made 6 of their 31 attempts (19.4%). They were able to knock down 5 of those for a percentage of 100.0%. The Nuggets committed 16 fouls in the game which took the Suns to the free throw line for 5 tries. They coughed it up 9 times, while recording 2 steals for this game. The Suns snagged 28 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 39 in this game.

Devin Booker ended up being a major contributor for the Suns for this contest. He made 14 out of 29 for the contest giving him a rate of 48.3%, and had 5 rebounds. Booker had 35 points in his 45 mins on the court and had 6 assists for this contest.

Phoenix has a mark of 45-37 for the campaign. When it comes to offensive execution, the Suns are hitting on 46.7% from the field, which is 23rd in basketball. Phoenix has 9,319 pts this season (113.6 per game) and they pull in 44.2 rebounds per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 27.3 times per contest (4th in basketball) and they are turning it over 13.5 times per game. The Suns are committing 21.2 personal fouls per contest and they hit 79.3% from the charity stripe.

The Suns on the defensive end are ranked 6th in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 111.6. They are forcing 14.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.6% from the field (6th in the league). The Phoenix defense allows 35.7% on three-point shots (938 of 2,628) and opponents are making 78.6% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 23.4 assists and 42.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 3rd and 11th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Phoenix (-6)

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