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The Phoenix Suns, who have lost seven of their past eight road games, travel to Denver Saturday tonight to take on the Nuggets, who have won 9-of-10 at home. The matchup takes place at 10 PM ET on ESPN.
The Suns are 29-33 and in 11th place in the Western Conference, 2.5 games out of the second play-in spot in a disappointing year in the desert. They have lost 11-of-15 overall and bring a horrendous 11-20 road record into Ball Arena. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are 40-22 and sit in third place in the West. They are 21-9 at home overall.
This is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams, which split a home-and-home around Christmas before the Nuggets won in Phoenix last month.
Denver’s Nikola Jokic, a candidate for the league’s MVP award, yet again, has averaged nearly 28 points in the three contests against the Suns. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each averaged 25 points in the first two matchups for the Suns before missing the February contest with injuries.
Let’s break down each team’s recent play while previewing this matchup and making a Suns @ Nuggets NBA pick.
After making the playoffs each of the last four seasons, a Suns squad led by Durant, Beal and Devin Booker was poised to reach the postseason again in 2024-25, but the wheels have fallen off following an 8-1 start. Phoenix is up there with the NBA’s most disappointing teams this season.
Durant is still getting the job done, averaging 26.9 points, fifth in the league. Booker is going for 25.9 points and 6.9 assists a game. Phoenix returned to winning ways on Tuesday, overcoming a 23-point deficit Tuesday to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 119-117. Durant had 34 points and 7 rebounds and Booker added 17 points and 8 assists to pace six players in double figures.
Phoenix has lost 7-of-8 away from home, but I expect their leading trio of Durant, Booker and Beal to play tonight. In the February loss to the Nuggets, Booker had 24 points while Bol Bol added 19 as the team was without Durant and Beal.
Following a season-high nine-game win streak, the Nuggets have alternated losses and wins over the last six games. On Wednesday night, Jamaal Murray had 24 points and 8 assists, Russell Westbrook added 25 points, and Jokic had 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists as Denver toppled the Sacramento Kings, 116-110. Michael Porter Jr. chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Christian Braun had 15 points and 7 assists.
Jokić, the three-time NBA MVP, is having another stellar season. He is third in the league at 28.8 points per game, third in rebounds with 12.8, and second in assists with 10.4.
Six Nuggets players are averaging at least 12.9 points as the team is third in the league in scoring, averaging 121.0 points per game. Murray is going for 21.4 points and 6.1 assists, followed by Michael Porter Jr. with 18.4 points and 6.9 rebounds, and Braun with 15.1 points per game.
The Nuggets are poised to take the season series against the Suns tonight. The only teams with worse road records in the West sit behind the Suns in the standings. They are 14th in the league in scoring at 113.8 points per game, but like the Nuggets, their defense is in the league’s bottom third. Both teams allow 116 points a game.
This should be a prime matchup again between Jokic and Durant. Always a threat to post a triple-double, Jokic should get close to his season average and score at least 27 points in an expected Nuggets victory.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.