NBA Playoff Betting – Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns June 19, 2021

The Denver Nuggets have the NBA’s newest MVP but more than anything they’d like a win in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal with the Phoenix Suns to even the series. The Suns used an explosive second half run to claim the opener 122-105. It was easily the most lopsided game of the season between the clubs with two of three regular season meetings going to overtime and another decided by just three points. Nikola Jokic, who earned the league’s top honor on Tuesday, had a quiet game by his standards on Monday tallying 22 points. Phoenix covered the 6-point closing line in the opener and the hit the board favored by the same amount in Game 2.  Bookmaker.eu is offering a generous welcome bonus ($1600 max bonus)

Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: Phoenix Suns Arena, Phoenix, AZ
Opening NBA Odds: Phoenix -6, O/U 222
Nuggets at Suns TV Coverage: TNT

Odds Analysis

Don’t think a 17-point loss in Game 1 is going to deter the Nuggets. They lost the opening game of their first round series with Portland 123-109 then won four of the next five going 4-1 ATS to advance. They also overcame a 3-1 series deficit last season to the Clippers in the second round to advance to the conference final. It has been feast or famine for the Nuggets in the postseason with five of their seven games decided by 11 points or more. Unfortunately, they are 2-3 in those games. It has led to some favorable outcomes for OVER bettors with the Nuggets playing over the closing total in six of their seven games so far.

You don’t typically see teams go on massive runs in the playoffs, but the Suns did just that to capture the opener, continuing their run of dominant play they displayed in the last two games of the Lakers series. They’ve won four straight overall going 4-0 ATS and are 5-2 SU and ATS in the postseason. They won the last three all by double digits outscoring opponents by an average margin of 20 points. The suns are laying 6-points on the opening line and they are 3-0 SU and ATS this postseason when playing as the favorite.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets felt they were too passive in Game 1 especially in the second half when they turned a 10-point lead into a blowout loss. Michael Malone compared Monday’s game to the opener of the Portland series when the Nuggets were outscored 65-47 over the final two quarters. “This game to me was eerily similar,” the coach said. The Nuggets overcame their “soft mentality” to vanquish the Blazers in six games behind stellar play from freshly-minted MVP Jokic. He tallied four 30-point games in the opening series and averaged 33 points.

Already shorthanded with Jamal Murray on the shelf and Will Barton sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Nuggets were dealt another potential blow when Michael Porter Jr. saw limited action in the second half due to a back issue. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds with nearly all of the production coming early in the contest. Porter picked up some of the scoring slack when Murray was lost for the season in mid-April averaging 19 points per game. Jokic is a stud but he can’t do it all by himself. The Nuggets need Porter close to full strength to even the series.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns were able to get past the Lakers without getting much production from Chris Paul. A shoulder injury in Game 1 of the opening round series limited his ability and he averaged just nine points while reaching double figures once. That the team was able to knock off the defending champs shows how balanced they are. And having Paul play the way he’s capable of makes the Suns that much more dangerous. Paul had his best game of the postseason on Monday with 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting with 11 assists.

All five starters reached double figures in Game 1 with four of them tallying at least 20 points. Mikal Bridges led the way with 23, Paul and Devin Booker had 21 and DeAndre Ayton chipped in 20. That kind of balance puts a strain on the defense. The Suns used it during a 34-9 second half run that put the game away. They shot 64 percent from the field after halftime showing why they ranked seventh during the regular season in scoring.

Bet Nuggets at Suns at BookMaker.eu

The Nuggets responded after getting beat at home in the first game of the Portland series and they aren’t going to roll over. I also don’t expect the Suns to be as efficient on offense as they were on Monday. Denver has been a resilient bunch all season and I expect they’ll come out with more intensity after Malone called them “soft.” Many of the players agreed with his assessment making their task for Game 2 obvious.

NBA Score Prediction: Nuggets 117, Suns 114

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com