Game 3 Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Betting Odds, Lines Picks & Predictions

After successfully defending the home court, the Suns now travel to Denver for Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Phoenix has dominated the series so far, winning the first two games by a combined 42 points. They’re now on a 5-game winning streak in the playoffs. The Suns have built on their excellent regular-season performance and are now 57-23 overall. Against the spread, they’re 48-30-2. Unlike the Portland series, the Nuggets haven’t been able to overcome their injury issues against the Suns so far. They’ve been outplayed on both sides of the court. With four playoff losses, their overall SU record is now 51-29. They’ve failed to cover in more than half of their games, going 38-42 ATS. Including two playoff matchups, the two teams have now met 5 times this season. The Suns came out victorious 3 times.

Line Movement

Despite losing the first two games, the Nuggets are home favorites in this one. The line has been set at -1.5. The total can be found at 222.5 or 223, depending on a bookie.

Notes on Phoenix Suns

The Suns have been fantastic in the series so far. Their offense has been humming and they torched the Nuggets for 125.6 points per 100 possession. Led by Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the Suns still have somewhat of an egalitarian offense, with every player getting their touches and scoring. In Game 2, no player scored more than 20, but 6 of them have been in double-digits. A big reason for that is the masterful performance from CP3 who has only 1 turnover in both games. As good as they’ve been attacking, the Suns are even better on defense. They’re very disciplined and pack the paint, making Nikola Jokic work hard on every possession. So far, the strategy has worked, as they kept one of the most potent offenses in the league to only 101.5 points per game.

Other than long-term absentee Abdel Nader, the Suns have no other injury issues.

Notes on Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets are running out of time to turn this series around. However, as they have proven last season, they’re best with their backs against the wall. In the 2020 playoffs, they managed to claw back from a 2-game deficit two times. Plus, they are known for being able to adapt to whatever the opponents throw at them. Still, for that to happen, someone other than Jokic will have to step up. Michale Porter Jr. who’s supposed to be the No. 2 option in Murray’s absence has scored only 26 points in the first two games. He does struggle with a back injury, though. Monte Morris, who’s been great against Portland, is even worse. The young guard has only 5 points combined in Games 1 and 2, shooting 2-17. The good news is the return of Will Barton, but he’s still not at 100%. He did, however, scored 10 points in just 15 minutes in Game 2.

The Nuggets continue without Murray and Dozier. MPJ is questionable but should play.

Betting Pick: OVER 222.5

The Nuggets have to start hitting their shots at some point. Expect their 3pt shooting percentage in this series (32.4%) to get closer to their average (38.3%). On the other hand, they clearly can’t contain Phoenix on defense. The Suns have scored 112 or more points in 4 out of 5 games vs Denver this season.