11/21/2023 0 Comments Suns vs nuggets tonightI fully expect the Suns to take control of this game, and even if the Nuggets don't fully rest their starters, it would not be a surprise if their minutes are limited like when Jokic played just 25 minutes on Tuesday against the Rockets. If anything, this is a good opportunity for them to figure out which of their non-starters are deserving of playoff minutes moving forward. This is the final of four matchups between these clubs, with Denver owning a 2-1. The Nuggets simply have nothing to play for tonight, and there is no real reason for them to show any of the schemes they may deploy against the Suns in a potential Western Conference Semifinals matchup. A Western Conference affair has the Phoenix Suns (44-35) hosting the Denver Nuggets (52-27) on Thursday night. While the motivation for tonight is more related to team chemistry, I expect the Suns to perform well with this lineup. This team can score at any level and has been strong defensively as well. When Durant is on the floor, the Suns have posted a +14.8 Point Differential, and their intended starting lineup of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Josh Okogie, Durant and Deandre Ayton has a +20.1 Point Differential as well. The Suns have been incredible with Durant and look to continue their undefeated run with him in the lineup. It's been at 1.5 the last few games, and he's exceeded that total in six of seven games alongside Durant. I will be targeting Devin Booker's First Quarter Assists Prop tonight whenever it opens. I wrote at length about the Suns and Kevin Durant's fit in my Weekly Player Props Forecast. The Suns are likely locked into the 4-seed in the West however, with Kevin Durant returning from injury, there remains a desire to play and garner more on-court chemistry amongst the starters. That is one of the worst sample sizes in the league and would be worse than the San Antonio Spurs on their full-season numbers. The Nuggets have a -13.1 Point Differential and score just 105.8 points per 100 while allowing 118.8. However, when he's off the floor, this drops precipitously. When Jokic is on the floor, the Nuggets have a +13.4 Point Differential and score 125.6 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. Surviving the non-Jokic minutes has been major problem that continues to plague Denver. They have been the best team in the West so far this season and have a +2.7 Adjusted Net Rating on the entire season, which has been buoyed by the league's fifth-best offense ( 117.1 Adjusted Offensive Rating). Tonight's game comes down to motivation for the Nuggets. On Friday, the Denver Nuggets will fight it out against the Phoenix Suns in a Western Conference playoff contest at 10:00 p.m. and Bruce Brown at the time of this writing, but it still would not be surprising if their minutes are managed and we see a bit more of Christian Braun (who has been awesome in an expanded role). It appears that the Nuggets will play Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets have listed Nikola Jokic (calf), Jamal Murray (thumb) and Zeke Nnaji (knee) as questionable for tonight's contest. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.The Nuggets have clinched the top seed in the Western Conference and may elect to rest their starters, or at least not play them their full rotations. It's been fun to watch him take on that responsibility every night." But obviously Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is leading that charge. "Whether it's Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) in OKC, (Jordan) Clarkson tonight, (Desmond) Bane in Memphis - no one guards anybody 1-on-1 in this league. "It's not that other guys aren't defending well, but he's just doing it at a very elite level right now against some great players, guys that can get going and score in bunches," Malone said. Caldwell-Pope has won the team's "defensive player of the game chain" in all four of Denver's games this season. ![]() The Nuggets could try to slow down Edwards by assigning Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to guard him. Golden State is -115 on the moneyline, while Phoenix is -105. Karl-Anthony Towns (15.7 points, 10.0 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (14.3 points, 13.3 rebounds) each are averaging double-doubles. The Warriors are -1.5 against the spread, while the Suns are +1.5. ![]() ![]() If we just do that and concentrate on the easy stuff, I think we can withstand runs and put a run on them."Īnthony Edwards leads the Timberwolves with 25.3 points per game to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. "The easy reads, not the hero plays, not the hero ball, not the hero pass, just the simple one. "The easy play would have won us the game," he said.
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