3rd Quarter Report
The Nuggets and the Suns have shown up to the matchup, but their offenses sure haven’t. The Nuggets have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Suns 100-79.
The Nuggets came into the contest with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Phoenix Suns @ Denver Nuggets
Current Records: Phoenix 14-13, Denver 15-11
How To Watch
- When: Monday, December 23, 2024 at 10 p.m. ET
- Where: Ball Arena — Denver, Colorado
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $53.04
What to Know
After three games on the road, the Nuggets are heading back home. They just played last yesterday, but they’ll still welcome the Phoenix Suns at 10:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Ball Arena. The Nuggets have insisted on making their lastthree contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 2-1 during that stretch of close contests.
On Sunday, the Nuggets needed a bit of extra time to put away the Pelicans. They skirted past New Orleans 132-129. The victory was all the more spectacular given Denver was down by 17 with 1:32 left in the third quarter.
The Nuggets’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nikola Jokic led the charge by dropping a triple-double on 27 points, 13 rebounds, and ten assists.
The Nuggets were working as a unit and finished the game with 34 assists (they’re ranked first in assists per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now racked up at least 34 assists in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored the Suns last Saturday, but the final result did not. They fell 133-125 to the Pistons. Phoenix has now taken an ‘L’ in back-to-back games.
Kevin Durant put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 43 points in addition to six assists and five rebounds. He has become a key player for the Suns: the team is undefeated when he posts at least 20 points, but 11-13 otherwise.
Denver has been performing well recently as they’ve won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 15-11 record this season. As for Phoenix, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-13.
Looking ahead, the Nuggets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by five points. Against the spread, they have been a house darling this year with a chancy 10-15 ATS record.
The Nuggets came up short against the Suns in their previous meeting back in March, falling 104-97. Can the Nuggets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Denver is a 5-point favorite against Phoenix, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Nuggets as a 8-point favorite.
The over/under is 233.5 points.
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Series History
Denver and Phoenix both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Mar 27, 2024 – Phoenix 104 vs. Denver 97
- Mar 05, 2024 – Phoenix 117 vs. Denver 107
- Dec 01, 2023 – Denver 119 vs. Phoenix 111
- May 11, 2023 – Denver 125 vs. Phoenix 100
- May 09, 2023 – Denver 118 vs. Phoenix 102
- May 07, 2023 – Phoenix 129 vs. Denver 124
- May 05, 2023 – Phoenix 121 vs. Denver 114
- May 01, 2023 – Denver 97 vs. Phoenix 87
- Apr 29, 2023 – Denver 125 vs. Phoenix 107
- Apr 06, 2023 – Phoenix 119 vs. Denver 115
