Phoenix Suns (57-23) vs. Denver Nuggets (51-29)
June 11, 2021 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Denver Nuggets -1.5; Over/Under: -222.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets collide in a pivotal Game 3 at the Ball Arena on Friday night.
The Phoenix Suns will be looking to take a commanding 3-0 series lead after making light work of the Nuggets in a 123-98 home win in Game 2. Devin Booker led the team in scoring with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, Chris Paul added 17 points with 15 assists, Mikal Bridges scored 16 points while DeAndre Ayton chipped in with 15 points and 10 rebounds. As a team, the Suns shot 47 percent from the field and a healthy 18 of 38 from the 3-point line as they came out strong defensively and kept the Nuggets quiet in the first half, before running riot in the second half where they exploded for 71 points to make it a complete blowout.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets must be starting to panic after getting blown out for the second straight game in this series. Nikola Jokic led the team with 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, Michael Porter Jr. and Paul Millsap each scored 11 points while Will Barton chipped in with 10 points off the bench. As a team, the Nuggets shot just 40 percent from the field and 14 of 43 from the 3-point line but it was a struggle all night for everyone not named Nikola Jokic. Michael Porter Jr. shot just three of 13 from the field while Frank Campazzo and Monte Morris each shot just one of seven from the field.
Head to head, the over is 6-2 in the last eight meetings overall, the Suns are 3-7 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Denver and the Suns are 6-14 ATS in the last 20 meetings overall.
Looking at the betting trends, the Suns are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five road games, 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games as an underdog and 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall. The Nuggets are 5-1 ATS in their last six Conference Semifinals games, 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning record and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.
With the series on the line, you can bet the Nuggets will come out firing with everything they have, but the Suns have really had it all their way in the first two games of the series, so the Nuggets will have to show us something different. Obviously, Jokic needs to lead the way with a big performance, but he’s yet to really break loose with Ayton guarding him. There’s just more to like about the Suns in this matchup and I think they get the job done behind their superior backcourt.
