Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, 12/23/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets

Date: Monday, December 23, 2024

Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO

TV: Altitude

The Denver Nuggets (14-11) will try to defeat the Phoenix Suns (14-12) at Ball Arena on Monday.

The Suns stepped onto the hardwood against the Pacers and took a loss by a score of 120-111 in their last contest. Phoenix wrapped up the contest having earned a 48.8% field goal percentage (40 out of 82) and made 9 out of their 30 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Suns made 22 of their 28 shots for a percentage of 78.6%. With respect to pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 44 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 28 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In relation to defense, Phoenix allowed the other team to go 43.8% from the floor on 39 out of 89 shooting. Indiana dished out 30 assists and had 9 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Indiana totaled 47 rebounds (9 offensive, 38 defensive) and added 4 rejections. Indiana ended up going 83.9% when shooting free throws by knocking down 26 of 31 tries. They knocked down 16 out of their 41 shots from 3-point land. When it comes to personal fouls, the Suns ended up with 20 while the Pacers recorded 21 personal fouls.

Kevin Durant is one player who was a major contributor in this contest. He ended up scoring 37 points on 15 of 27 shooting. He saw the court for 38 mins and also pulled down 10 rebounds. Durant walked away from this one shooting 55.6% from the floor and recorded 6 assists.

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Phoenix comes into this one with a record of 14-12 for the season. They turn it over 14.0 times per game and as a unit they are committing 18.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Phoenix is grabbing 43.2 boards per contest and has earned 704 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 13th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Suns are shooting 38.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (389 of 1,021) and 79.4% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 113.8 points per outing (12th in the league) while connecting on 47.2% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Suns are forcing 12.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.8 personal fouls. They surrender 36.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 20th in the league in PPG allowed (114.4). The Suns defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.9% (1,085 of 2,315) and they surrender 43.9 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 13th in basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 693 surrendered for the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Nuggets took a loss by a score of 126-124 against the Trail Blazers. Regarding attacking the glass, Denver allowed Portland to grab 45 in all (15 offensive). They finished 34.8% from three-point range by going 16 of 46 and ended up going 20 out of 24 at the charity stripe (83.3%). The Nuggets allowed the Trail Blazers to bury 45 of 97 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 46.4% for the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Nuggets walked away from this one shooting 47 out of 87 from the field which had them shooting 54.0%. Pertaining to 3-point shots, Denver knocked down 15 out of 34 attempts (44.1%). They were able to knock down 15 of them for a percentage of 71.4%. The Trail Blazers were called for 18 fouls in this game which got the Nuggets to the charity stripe for a total of 21 tries. They coughed up the ball 11 times, while recording 7 steals in this matchup. The Nuggets earned 32 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 40 in this game.

Nikola Jokic ended up having an impact for the Nuggets for the matchup. He converted 13 out of 18 in the matchup for a rate of 72.2%, and tallied 6 rebounds. Jokic accumulated 34 points in his 37 mins on the hardwood and added 8 assists in the matchup.

Denver has a win-loss record of 14-11 so far this year. The Nuggets commit 18.4 fouls every game while shooting 75.2% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 31.0 times per contest (1st in basketball) and they are turning it over 14.7 times per game. Denver has totaled 2,985 points this season (119.4 per game) and they pull down 44.8 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Nuggets are connecting on 49.6% from the floor, which ranks them 3rd in the NBA.

The Denver defense gives up 35.8% on 3-point shots (350 of 977) and opponents are knocking down 76.3% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 29.5 dimes and 43.8 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 30th and 17th in the NBA. The Nuggets defensively are ranked 24th in the league in PPG surrendered with 116.9. They are able to force 14.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.7% from the floor (18th in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Denver

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