Phoenix Suns
For the Suns team, this will be back-to-back games, i.e., the second match in two consecutive days. On the night from Saturday to Sunday Lithuanian time, the Phoenix team played against the Minnesota Timberwolves and achieved an away victory with a score of 100-98, even though they were considered underdogs. Suns leader Devin Booker had an impressive game, missing a triple-double by just one assist. Booker scored a total of 35 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and made 9 assists, although the rest of the Suns team did not shine with their shooting, hitting only 34% from the field.
The Suns team ranks 6th in the entire league in terms of points scored, averaging 115.4 points per game, but they struggle significantly with rebounds, averaging only 42 rebounds per game, placing them 27th in the league. The high scoring is partly due to successful team play, as the Suns rank 2nd in the league in assists, averaging 27.9 assists per game. This season, the Phoenix players are playing fast, dynamic, and visually appealing basketball (the Suns rank 6th in the entire league in three-point attempts), which results in high scoring averages, but the average points allowed are also high – they allow an average of 111.4 points per game.
The team is led by Devin Booker (24.9 points, 6 assists), Kelly Oubre Jr. (17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds), Aron Baynes (14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds), Ricky Rubio (12.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists), Dario Šarić (10 points, 6 rebounds), Frank Kaminsky (10.9 points, 5.6 rebounds)
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Denver Nuggets
The Denver players will enter this match aiming for their 5th consecutive victory. Playing their third consecutive home game, the Nuggets previously defeated the Houston Rockets and the Boston Celtics and now rank 2nd in the Western Conference, trailing only the Los Angeles Lakers. On Friday, in the game against the Boston Celtics, the Nuggets narrowly avoided their 3rd home loss, but a 7-2 run in the last 2 minutes allowed them to take the lead 91-85 with 45 seconds remaining. The Nuggets shot 44.3% from the field but made only 7 out of 28 three-pointers. However, it is worth noting that the Celtics are one of the best defensive teams in the league, whereas the Suns' perimeter defense is weaker, so the shooting should be better against them.
The Nuggets average 106 points per game, ranking only 24th in the league in this aspect, but they allow only 101 points per game, which is the 2nd best result in the entire league. Additionally, the Nuggets are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, ranking 8th with an average of 46.6 rebounds per game.
The main contributors to the Nuggets' victories are: Jamal Murray (18.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists), Nikola Jokić (17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists), Will Barton (14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds), Gary Harris (10.5 points), Paul Millsap (13.9 points). Also, Malik Beasley, Jerami Grant, and Mason Plumlee, players coming off the bench, make significant contributions to the team's success.
Prediction
For the Phoenix team, this will be the second game in a row in two days, so not only is the team theoretically weaker than today's opponents, but fatigue may also play a role. Overall, this is the 3rd game in 4 days and the 5th in 7 days, so the Denver players will undoubtedly be fresher, which should be noticeable on the court. Denver is one of the best defensive teams in the league, while the Suns do not excel in defense, so it is very likely that the Nuggets will have no trouble scoring points and will eventually win the game by a double-digit margin.
