Denver Nuggets (51-27) vs. Phoenix Suns (55-23)
June 7, 2021 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Phoenix Suns -5.5; Over/Under: -219.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns collide in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals at the PHX Arena on Monday night, June 7th.
The Denver Nuggets are coming into this series with plenty of confidence after taking down the Trailblazers in a 4-2 series win in the first round. Nikola Jokic was amazing for the Nuggets as he led the team with averages of 33.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, Michael Porter Jr. added 18.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, Monte Morris averaged 15.3 points and 5.8 assists per game while Aaron Gordon averaged 12..5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. As a team, the Nuggets scored an average of 120.8 points per game against the Trailblazers while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from the 3-point line. PJ Dozier is being evaluated on a day to day basis while Jamal Murray is expected to sit out the series opener.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns will be looking to make plenty of noise after taking down the Lakers in a 113-100 win on Thursday to win the series by 4-2. Devin Booker came ready to play and led the team with 47 points on 15 of 22 shooting, Jae Crowder added 18 points with eight rebounds and two blocks while Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson each scored 10 points. As a team, the Suns shot 50 percent from the field and 18 of 35 from the 3-point line, but this win was all about the damage they did early on, holding the Lakers to just 14 points in the first quarter to lead by 23 points going into halftime. Chris Paul had a quiet game as he scored just eight points, but he also tallied 12 assists as the Suns hardly needed his scoring.
Looking at the betting trends, the Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning record, 0-4 ATS in their last four games playing on three or more days rest and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Suns are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games, 37-14-1 ATS in their last 52 games against a team with a winning record and 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games overall.
Head to head, the over is 5-1 in the last six meetings overall, the Nuggets are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Phoenix and the Nuggets are 14-6 ATS in the last 20 meetings overall.
The Nuggets were sensational in the first round as they were able to get past a streaking Trailblazers team despite missing two key guards in Murray and Barton and it’s no surprise that it has been Jokic leading the way. The Suns are led by their strong backcourt in Booker and Paul, but they’ve enjoyed some fantastic production from DeAndre Ayton who will again play a major role in this series. I can easily see this series going the distance and I think it starts with the Suns winning a close one at home behind a big game from Booker.
