Suns vs. Nets odds, props, predictions: Phoenix a road favorite in Durant's return to Brooklyn

Kevin Durant said he doesn’t want any tribute video when he makes his return to Brooklyn for the first time, claiming that he didn’t do enough to earn it and didn’t connect with the fans enough. 

We’ll see if he’ll be booed, cheered or honored in any way, but the fact is he missed his first season there entirely, was injured for a lot of his stint, yet nearly took the Nets to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021 and would have if his shoe size was slightly smaller. It was a complicated run. 

Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, the two players who were shipped out along with a boat-load of first-round picks to land his services, received nothing but love from Suns fans when Brooklyn came to town on Dec. 13. The Nets (19-27 SU, 22-22-2 ATS) pulled out a 116-112 upset that night, spoiling the party in one of the first full games Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal all played together. 

The Suns (27-20, 17-29-1) have gone 14-9 since that loss, climbing into the West’s top six despite still trying to figure out how they’re going to play given all the moving parts with a lot of guys playing together for the first time. 

Handicapping Suns vs. Nets betting odds, props, and predictions should incorporate how much further along Phoenix is six weeks following its first encounter with Brooklyn, how engaged Nets fans will be, and how locked in the home team will be after winning consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 23-26.

Suns vs. Nets odds: Point spread, moneyline, total

Here are the latest NBA betting odds for Phoenix vs. Brooklyn:

Suns betting news: Following collapses, Phoenix confident in its ability to overcome adversity

The Suns opened their season-long seven-game road trip with a win over rival Dallas, but fell in Indiana last Friday after blowing a nine-point lead inside of seven minutes, losing on an Obi Toppin putback with 3.4 seconds left. On Sunday, they entered the fourth quarter ahead in Orlando and were tied with less than nine minutes remaining but wound up losing 112-98. The Magic won the fourth quarter 31-13.

Maybe it’s because they’re led by laid back veterans, but one trait these Suns have displayed through the season’s first few months is that they don’t rattle easily and aren’t likely to panic. That attitude served Phoenix well in a pair of comeback wins at home after falling behind by 20-plus points early and was a driving force in Monday’s 118-105 rout of Miami in a game it controlled after falling behind early. 

The Suns dished out 30 assists, with Durant, Booker and Beal each dishing out seven. Center Jusuf Nurkic played through a thumb sprain and only took six shots, but he’s no longer on the injury report and will apparently just play through the issue. Same goes for Beal, who is playing through a nasal fracture and sporting a mask. 

Phoenix rolled against the Heat despite Beal and Booker shooting just 4-for-19 from 3-point range, so it goes into this contest with that as a key variable since it shot just 9-for-28 (32 percent) from beyond the arc in last month’s loss to the Nets. 

Grayson Allen is the main injury concern for the Suns, having left Monday’s game with an ankle sprain after stepping on teammate Josh Okogie’s foot. He leads the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (49.8) and is listed as questionable.

Forward Bol Bol, who hasn’t played in nine games, has been upgraded to questionable. He had carved out a spot in Frank Vogel’s rotation prior to suffering a foot sprain.

Nets betting news: Simmons’ return has Brooklyn trending in right direction to end rocky month

Brooklyn can match its longest win streak of the season with another upset of the Suns, so odds are good that the team will put their best foot forward. The Nets narrowly upset the Timberwolves last Thursday before rebounding to defeat the Rockets and Jazz. A victory would be their 20th on the season, tying them with Atlanta for the 10th and final East play-in spot.

Brooklyn lost 12 of 14 games between Dec. 27-Jan. 25, but it looks like the worst is over. With teams like Atlanta and Chicago also chasing a play-in spot despite losing records, and Southeast Division leaders Miami and Orlando entering Wednesday’s action just one game over .500, the Nets could easily climb as high as seventh with a strong next few months.

The return of Ben Simmons, who has played just six games this season, last suiting up on Nov. 6, could play a large role in a resurgence. The Nets haven’t won more than three straight games all season and can match that run with a victory here. Simmons dished out six assists in his first four minutes of action and finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in just 18:14, helping produce a season-high 147 points. 

Bridges has had his ups and downs as the Nets’ primary option, often struggling with gauging how aggressive he needs to be. He’s had no problem calling his own number late in games, but has scored in the teens, below his average of 21.9 points, seven times over his last 16 games. That made Wednesday’s 6-for-14 explosion from 3-point range, season-highs in both makes and attempts, a welcome sight.

The Nets scored a season-best 147 points in their rout of the Jazz, and the OVER hit as a result, ending a run that saw the UNDER come through in six of the last eight games involving Brooklyn. The team shot 21-for-45 from 3-point range against Utah and thrived despite point guard Spencer Dinwiddie finishing with just two points on 0-for-5 shooting.

Although getting back Simmons helps, Jacque Vaughn is still without two key frontcourt pieces in standout defender and starting power forward Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle sprain), and backup center Day’Ron Sharpe (knee hyperextension), an excellent rebounder. Both will miss Wednesday’s game.

Suns vs. Nets player prop picks

Bridges’ increased aggression from beyond the arc is likely to continue against his former team, so we’re all over 3-pointers made, available at BetMGM. Nets center Nic Claxton finished with just 11 points in Brooklyn’s huge win on Monday and has only topped 14.5 points once in the last four games, so we recommend the UNDER (-135) on that figure since he doesn’t really look to score outside of rim runs and putbacks.

Although Durant being back in Brooklyn could make him the focal point of the Suns’ offense, it’s more likely that Booker has a big game. He took a team-high 23 shots in Miami and is averaging 43.5 points, six rebounds and 4.3 assists over Phoenix’s last four games. Coming off a 2-for-10 performance from beyond the arc against the Heat, look for him to actively try and get back on track. Ride the over on Booker’s points, rebounds and assists total of .

Suns vs. Nets ATS pick

Phoenix has had its ups and downs over the last month, recovering from early deficits, squandering leads, racking up huge scoring runs and going through some droughts. It’s all part of coming together as a group, although the Suns’ journey has had a rather unusual set of adventures to navigate since Beal joined the party.

This matchup adds additional spice since we should see some booing of Durant in the mix and they’ll undoubtedly get the Nets’ best punch with Bridges and Johnson hoping to sweep their former team. Expect a competitive matchup and take the points with the home ‘dog.