Suns vs Nuggets Prediction 9 February 2025

🔊 Can the hosts offer any resistance to Jokic and company? The NBA regular season presents us with a matchup between Phoenix and Denver. The hosts are in poor form, but having top scorers always gives them a chance to compete-especially on their home court at the Footprint Center. The Nuggets have already hit a good stride, which makes them capable of delivering another high-scoring performance. A fast-paced game is predicted, which could lead to another "over" result.

📊 HEAD-TO-HEAD

The last meeting resulted in a victory for Phoenix with a score of 110:100. Notably, in 4 of the last 5 head-to-head matchups, the "Suns" came out on top.

🏀 PHOENIX SUNS

The current state of Phoenix leaves much to be desired-reports of a toxic atmosphere in the locker room are leaking into the media. This is unsurprising, as management openly considered trading their main star, Kevin Durant. The forward, incidentally, missed the recent game against Oklahoma (109:140). By many key metrics, the Suns look poor: 114.4 points allowed (20th) and 113 points scored (14th). The coaching staff still hasn't solved the issue of having three stars who demand the ball. There is no adequate team basketball. Moreover, the club recently lost Nurkic, who was providing solid play on the boards: even with him, the Suns rank 25th in rebounding (42.3). An important issue could be the back-to-back: after an overtime with the Jazz (135:127), some players clearly lost freshness. On their home court, they can only rely on quality offense and sheer luck. Only that can help contain Jokic under the basket.

🏀 DENVER NUGGETS

The Denver players have some personnel issues, but their condition is incomparably better than Phoenix's. Jokic and company have won 5 games in a row. Their opponents had completely different styles-both the defensive Orlando (112:90) and the fast-paced New Orleans (125:113, 144:119). We understand that when the Serbian center is in good form, the visitors' offense is unstoppable. It ranks third in the league: 120.8 points per game. However, their quality on their own half suffers greatly-115.9 points allowed (24th). We assume that the visitors will dictate the pace, and the upcoming game will be quite fast-paced. The potential absence of Murray is not a problem. Denver's bench is unexpectedly starting to shine and deliver a good level even in the absence of leaders on the court. Additionally, we must note the huge advantage of extra rest time.

📝 EDITOR'S PREDICTION

The teams face off with different capabilities and conditions. Predictably, bookmakers favor Denver-thanks to several significant advantages. But Phoenix recently secured an emotional victory that could give them additional momentum. Moreover, Durant is close to returning to the lineup. The bench matchup will also be intriguing, where the "Suns" might surprise despite positive trends in the Nuggets' camp. The game promises to be competitive. Taking all details into account, our editorial team suggests the following bet: total under 238.5 points.