NBA Christmas Day: Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns clash on Christmas Day at the Ball Arena in Colorado. Both teams are after the NBA title this year and, along with that, the top of the Western Conference. This game might have a big impact on the final standings, which is why many want to see it. Devin Booker was out for the Suns in recent games, and that’s a big problem for Monty Williams, who has been trying to cover up his absence. According to the latest intel, D-Book should play, but his shape is still an enigma. On the other side, Jokic is doing just fine, while Jamal Murray still seeks consistency.

Preview

Phoenix Suns (19-14, +140) lost Booker, and defeats immediately started appearing in their record columns. After losing to the Washington Wizards 113-110, another failure came, this time against the Memphis Grizzlies, 125-100. We just want to mention that both events took place in Arizona.

Booker is the top scorer of the team with 28 points per game, but in the recent time, his figures dropped. Over the course of the past five events, D-Book had just 22.8 points, with 29.7% for three, which could be provoked by his groin issues. He did score 58 against the Pelicans, yet before that event, Booker’s stats were mediocre and below that. That’s why many doubt that his return might have a massive impact on the Suns’ performances.

Deandre Ayton added more reasons for concern among the Suns’ fanbase. The former top pick and the starting center had a dispute with the head coach Monty Williams during the game, which worried all those who love the Suns. Knowing this isn’t the first time Ayton makes problems, we expect to see more of it in the future.

Denver Nuggets (20-11, -160) have six wins in the past seven games, and three straight right now, all of them at the Ball Arena at Mile High. The Nuggets beat the Hornets 119-115, the Grizzlies 105-91, and the Trail Blazers 120-107.

In each of these games, the best player was Nikola Jokic. Nothing new, you would say, and you are right. While the Joker is always near the triple-double productivity, Jamal Murray oscillates a lot. It seems that the Canadian youngster still didn’t recover from a nasty knee injury, and gained routine. One day he scores 25 points, the very next six, and so on.

Yet Joker has help from other players, like Aaron Gordon who has been excellent this season, scoring 17.1 points with 61.1% of shooting. Also, Bones Hyland comes off the bench to add 13.4 points, and these two guys established themselves as reliable options for head coach Mike Malone.

Head to Head Games

This is the first game of the year between these two units. During the previous one, they played three times, with the Suns winning twice and the Nuggets once.

Prediction

The Nuggets are pretty strong at home, having 11 wins and three defeats, while the Suns struggle on the road, 5-9. On top of that, Booker isn’t 100%, which is why we believe that the Nuggets will win this game, and cover the spread as well. 

Pick: Nuggets -3 -110