The Phoenix Suns will travel to the Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and can be seen on ALT and FAZ.
The Nuggets enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Knicks 110-94 on Tuesday. Kenneth Faried was a key piece, recording his 19th double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Suns, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their blowout 128-97 loss against that same Knicks squad on Wednesday. Devin Booker led the game in scoring with 32 points.
Over the last five games, Faried has taken his game to another level for the Nuggets, averaging 18.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
The Suns lead the season series against the Nuggets two games to one, but fell short in their most recent game, 104-96. Darrell Arthur finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Nuggets have gone 26-38 Straight Up (SU) and 34-26-4 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 26-38 SU and 34-26-4 ATS against the Western Conference. Denver will look to take advantage of the Suns and their propensity to foul. Phoenix has committed the most fouls in the league, averaging 23.1 per game.
As for their opponent, the Suns have 17-47 SU and 25-39 ATS records. Despite having a winning record against the Western Conference, Phoenix is unsuccessful ATS in those games with a record of 9-22.
Denver beat Phoenix in their most recent meeting this season, but the win was not enough to overtake Phoenix in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 2-8 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. The Suns also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Den
Notes
Both Phoenix and Denver rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Phoenix scores 0.0 points per game, while Denver allows 0.0.
Phoenix and Denver are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Phoenix scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Denver allows 0.0 points at home on average.
In contests where it has given up fewer than 100 points, Denver has an 11-12 record. When Phoenix puts up fewer than 100, it is an underachieving 1-29.
At 15-26, the Denver Nuggets have a losing record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Phoenix Suns are 16-18 when they put up triple digits.
The Suns have a defensive rating of 108.5 (ranked 29th). The Nuggets rank 21st for their offensive rating of 102.9.
The Phoenix Suns average 100.3 possessions per game and 1.002 points per possession. The Denver Nuggets earn fewer possessions with 98.8, but they score more points with 1.029.
The Denver Nuggets average an effective field goal percentage of 48.5% this season. The Phoenix Suns have an underachieving record of 8-42 when opponents have an EFF% of 48.5% or greater.
Denver makes an average of 22.5 assists per game (ranked 13th), while Phoenix makes 20.3 assists per game (ranked 25th).
The Denver Nuggets average 4.5 blocks per game for a rank of 19th. The Phoenix Suns rank lower (27th), earning 3.8 blocks each game.
The Denver Nuggets rank third in offensive rebounding, while the Phoenix Suns rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
On average, Denver makes 7.5 steals per game. Phoenix is an abysmal 14-43 when it gives up at least 7 steals.
