Denver big Nikola Jokic leads the NBA in PER and Win Shares per 48 Minutes. The Nuggets are 7-9 ATS and 5-11 O/U with the ninth-best net rating (plus-2.5). Nuggets odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions, and bets.ĭenver is a loser of three in a row to the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls following a five-game winning streak.

The Denver Nuggets (9-7) meet the Phoenix Suns (12-3) for an 8 p.m.

NFL Fantasy Football Rankings, Sleepers and Analysis.Up next: The Nuggets hurried out of Footprint Center to get to Sacramento for Saturday night’s game against the Kings. With Bates-Diop on his hip, Porter took a couple of dribbles to his left before going up for a one-handed dunk over his defender, his first bucket of the game. Justin Holiday hit Porter as he came off a Nikola Jokic screen on the right wing. Highlight of the night: It didn’t take long for Michael Porter Jr. Phoenix had 23 points with more than five minutes left in the opening quarter before Denver’s reserves came in and made things more difficult. Kevin Duran reached double figures in four minutes. The Suns made their first eight shots and didn’t miss until there were under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. What went wrong: Denver’s defense was a late arrival. Denver was shooting better than 75% from the field midway through the second quarter. Nikola Jokic had 10 of those assists at halftime. The Nuggets had 13 assists in the first quarter and added nine more in the second. What went right: The unselfish style of basketball that has been synonymous with the Nuggets’ success was on full display during the first half in Phoenix. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's corner 3 with 2:31 left put the Nuggets up 6, which was enough to stretch Denver's win streak to four games. The Suns tied the game early in the fourth and it was 100-all midway through the fourth quarter. Phoenix made it a one-possession game late in the third, and Denver started the fourth with a three-point lead. Denver extended the lead to as many as 17 in the second quarter, but the Suns finished the first half on a 12-3 run. What happened: A 41-point first quarter helped the Nuggets start the second with an 11-point advantage. That makes it tough to draw any sweeping conclusions about where either of these teams are at this early in the season. While the Nuggets had plenty of reason to be happy with the win, neither team was close to full strength. Gordon missed his fourth game with a heel strain. Denver was without Jamal Murray, who sprained an ankle on Wednesday, and Aaron Gordon. The Suns were without Devin Booker, one of the stars of that series, and Bradley Beal, who has played just three games in a Suns uniform.

This wasn’t exactly the rematch of last year’s second-round series. Carmelo Anthony, at 28,289 points, is up next after Durant finished with 30 points Friday.ģ. Durant solidified his place in the top 10 after muscling past Jackson for a layup. Justin Holiday, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Peyton Watson and Reggie Jackson. The Nuggets tried multiple different defenders, but it didn’t seem to matter. With two of his 22 points in the first half, the Suns forward passed Moses Malone’s 27,409 career points to move into 10th place on the NBA’s career scoring list. Kevin Durant’s place among the greatest scorers in NBA history is up for debate, but he’s definitely top 10.

Nuggets suns series schedule