NBA picks: Suns vs. Nuggets prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Tuesday, March 5

The top contenders to win the Western Conference according to the oddsmakers will face off Tuesday evening when the Phoenix Suns (35-26) face the Denver Nuggets (42-19). This is a rematch of last year’s second-round series which the Nuggets won 4-2. Denver won the previous meeting between these teams 119-111 and is currently on a six-game winning streak. Phoenix has dropped its last two contests.

The Suns are once again going to be without Devin Booker as he deals with an ankle injury. Josh Okogie is also out, while Jusuf Nurkic is questionable with a calf issue. Denver is clean on the injury front.

The Nuggets are 9.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 223.5. Denver is -440 on the moneyline while Phoenix is +340.

Suns vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Suns +9.5

The Nuggets should be able to win this game given their talent advantage and current form, but this spread is simply too big to back them against a Suns team which still has Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Denver is 5-1 ATS during this current winning streak and Phoenix is 1-5 ATS but the Nuggets are just 14-14-1 ATS at home. The Suns are 12-15-1 ATS on the road.

Phoenix is 5-5 ATS as a road underdog and has an uphill battle with Booker out, but Durant and Beal offer enough offense to keep pace with Denver. I’ll take the Suns to at least cover what is a fairly decent spread.

Over/Under: Over 223.5

These two teams actually trend toward the under on the season. Phoenix is 27-33-1 to the under while Denver is 23-38 to the under. However, these teams went over this total last time and the Suns have a more well-rounded unit offensively to make up for Booker’s absence since the trade deadline. Denver is 3-3 to the over since the break and Phoenix is 0-6 but the Suns have not had a total below 230 in that stretch. I’ll take the over to hit tonight.