Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, 4/29/2023 Preview and Pick
Game: Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets
Date: Saturday, April 29, 2023
Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO
TV: TNT
Odds/Point Spread: Phoenix (+3)
The Denver Nuggets will go up against the Phoenix Suns at Ball Arena on Saturday in Game 1 of their series. Denver is 3-point favorites. The total comes in at 225.
The Suns took the court against the Clippers and took home the win by a score of 136-130 in their last game. Phoenix walked away from the game having earned a 54.3% field goal percentage (51 of 94) and made 13 of their 26 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Suns made 21 of their 24 shots for a percentage of 87.5%. In the matter of pulling down rebounds, they collected 43 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 31 assists for the game in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With regard to defending, Phoenix allowed the other team to go 45.3% from the field on 43 out of 95 shooting. Los Angeles doled out 23 dimes and had 4 steals in this game. On top of that, Los Angeles totaled 46 rebounds (17 offensive, 29 defensive) and earned 4 blocked shots. Los Angeles ended up shooting 83.8% when shooting free throws by burying 31 of their 37 shots. They also converted 13 out of their 36 attempts from beyond the arc. When discussing fouls, the Suns ended up with 27 while the Clippers totaled 21 fouls.
Devin Booker is one guy who played a role for the matchup. He accounted for 47 points on 19 of 27 shooting. He was on the court for 42 minutes played and also grabbed 8 rebounds. Booker finished the game at 70.4% from the floor and also dished out 10 dimes.
Phoenix heads into this one with a mark of 45-37 for the year. They turn it over 13.5 times per contest and as a basketball team are committing 21.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Phoenix is pulling down 44.2 boards per contest and has accumulated 2,235 assists so far this year, which ranks 4th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Suns are hitting 37.4% on 3-pointers (1,001 of 2,674) and 79.3% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 113.6 pts per game (17th in basketball) while hitting 46.7% from the floor.
On the defensive end, the Suns are forcing their opponents into 14.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.9 fouls. They currently rank 3rd in the NBA in allowing assists with 1,915 relinquished so far this season. The Suns defense is allowing a FG percentage of 46.6% (3,280 of 7,044) and they relinquish 42.9 boards per game as a team. They relinquish 35.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 6th in the league in PPG from their opponents (111.6).
When they last stepped on the court, the Nuggets walked away with a victory by a final of 112-109 when they played the Timberwolves. The Nuggets were able to collect 31 defensive rebounds and 16 offensive rebounds totaling 47 in this matchup. They turned it over 12 times, while getting 10 steals for this game. The Timberwolves earned 27 personal fouls in this contest which took the Nuggets to the charity stripe for a total of 36 shots. They were able to make 32 of those for a clip of 88.9%. Concerning shooting from distance, Denver knocked down 12 of their 34 attempts (35.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Nuggets went 34 for 85 from the floor which had them sitting at 40.0%. The Nuggets allowed the Timberwolves to make 41 of 81 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 50.6% for this game. They wrapped up this game 24.2% from three-point range by connecting on 8 of 33 and walked away from this one shooting 19 out of 25 from the free throw line (76.0%). Concerning team rebounding, Denver permitted Minnesota to collect 40 in total (8 on the offensive side).
Jamal Murray ended up being important for the Nuggets in the game. He made 12 of 23 in the game giving him a rate of 52.2%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. Murray had 35 points in his 41 mins on the court and accounted for 5 assists in this matchup.
Denver has a record of 53-29 on the season. As an offensive team, the Nuggets are shooting 50.4% from the field, which ranks 1st in the NBA. Denver has earned 9,495 points on the year (115.8 per game) and they average 43.0 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 28.9 times per game (2nd in basketball) and they turn the ball over 14.5 times per game. The Nuggets are responsible for committing 18.6 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 75.1% from the charity stripe.
The Denver defense allows 34.4% on three-point shots (933 of 2,711) and their opponents are knocking down 77.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 25.7 dimes and 40.8 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 16th and 1st in basketball. The Nuggets on defense are ranked 8th in basketball in points allowed per contest with 112.5. They are able to force 13.5 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.8% from the floor (20th in the NBA).
Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?
Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Phoenix (+3)
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