Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for tonight’s Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets game.

To close down the five-game NBA Saturday slate, the Denver Nuggets will host the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets lost their lone game of the season while the Suns enter with a 1-1 record with the first week of the season coming toward a close.

Looking at the odds for the matchup, the Nuggets enter as 13.5-point favorites and hold -850 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook on the moneyline. The Suns holds +575 odds of getting the outright upset with the game total set at 233.5 points.

This article will look at a preview and prediction as both these teams attempt to hit their stride on the season.

Suns at Nuggets preview, prediction

The Phoenix Suns pulled the plug on the Kevin Durant era this summer, trading him to the Houston Rockets. Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks headlined the return, as well as a collection of draft picks, although Green is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury. Devin Booker remains in place as the face of the franchise and is averaging 24.5 points and 5.0 assists through his first two games. Brooks has scored 21 and 22 points in his first games for Phoenix while Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and Collin Gillespie round out most of the statistical production.

Phoenix kicked the season off with a victory over the Sacramento Kings but fell to the Los Angeles Clippers last night. Tonight will mark the second night of a back-to-back with both matchups on the road. The Suns fell to the Clippers 129-102 last night and immediately hopped on the plane to travel from Los Angeles to Denver.

The Nuggets will have the rest advantage with their lone game of the season taking place on Thursday. They fell in overtime to the Golden State Warriors 137-131. This will mark the home opener for the Nuggets.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic continues to headline the production for Denver and will be in the mix for the prestigious award again this season. But it was Aaron Gordon who stole the show in the opener, scoring a career-high 50 points and knocking down 10 three-pointers. Jamal Murray remains a key part of the offense while key additions Cameron Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas have made their impact felt.

Notable Injuries:

Phoenix Suns:

  • Jalen Green – OUT (Hamstring)
  • Mark Williams – OUT (Injury Management)

Denver Nuggets:

Suns at Nuggets prediction, best bet

While the Suns are still publicly making it clear they intend on contending, the early signs have not been promising for how they will stack up in the loaded Western Conference. Sacramento pushed its lead to 20 points against the Suns in the season opener before they battled back to get the win. They also trailed the Clippers by as many as 32 and ultimately lost by 27 last night.

They will look to turn things around against a Denver Nuggets team with legitimate championship aspirations. The Nuggets will be hungry for their first win after losing to the Warriors in overtime. As they return home to Denver for the first time this season, expect them to be ready to show out and make a statement.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back in Denver is a difficult challenge for any team. This is especially the case with the Nuggets at a rest advantage. Phoenix looks a bit short on shot creators and has not looked fully connected defensively yet either. The return of Jalen Green will help with this, but he is not the cure-all the roster needs.

The gap in talent between these two teams is larger than the 13.5-point spread indicates and expect this to be on full display tonight. Count on Nikola Jokic artfully picking apart this vulnerable Suns defense and for Phoenix to fail to match this level of offense. Denver is the better team outright and has additional advantages given the home crowd and rest. It would not be a shock if this game gets out of hand early, so look for the Nuggets to produce a convincing victory to cover the 13.5-point spread.

Best bet: Nuggets -13.5 (-102)