Suns vs. Nuggets Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for NBA Playoffs Game 2 (Denver Stays Dominant Inside Ball Arena)

The 2022-23 NBA Playoffs continue on Monday with an exciting Game 2 showdown between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Suns vs. Nuggets Game Info

• Date: Monday, May 1, 2023
• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Ball Arena -- Denver, Colorado
• Coverage: TNT

Game 1 was a back-and-forth battle for most of the first half, but the Nuggets pulled away at the end of the second quarter and never looked back. Denver cruised to a 125-107 victory on Saturday as Jamal Murray poured in 34 points to go along with 9 assists and Nikola Jokic tallied 19 rebounds.

Suns vs. Nuggets Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: PHO: (+160) | DEN: (-190)
• Spread: PHO: +4.5 (-110) | DEN: -4.5 (-110)
• Total: 227 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Nuggets enter this contest as small home favorites on the spread and moneyline at FanDuel Sportsbook. This Monday night clash also features a total of 227 points with both sides available at -110 odds.

Nuggets vs Suns Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Nuggets	-4.5	-110	-110	227.5	-110	-110	-190	+160

Suns vs. Nuggets Betting Trends

• The Nuggets have put together a record of 45-34-1 against the spread this season.
• The Suns have an ATS record of 7-6 in their 13 games when underdogs by 4.5 points or more this year.
• Nuggets games have finished with a final combined score above the over/under 37 times this season.
• Suns games this year have eclipsed the over/under 40 times in 80 opportunities (50%).
• At home, Denver has a better record against the spread (25-14-1) compared to its ATS record in road games (20-20-0).
• Phoenix's winning percentage against the spread, both home and away, is .500. It is 20-19-1 ATS on its home court and 20-19-1 on the road.

Suns vs. Nuggets Prediction & Pick

Game 1 served as just the second time in 14 games that the Suns have lost with Kevin Durant on the squad. Durant did his job as he tallied 29 points (12-of-19 shooting) and 14 rebounds, but he will need to clean up the turnovers (7 in Game 1) if Phoenix wants any chance at earning a win in Game 2.

Phoenix racked up 16 turnovers as a team, which almost doubled the Nuggets' total (9). Denver also won the rebounding battle 49-38 and 16 of those boards came on the offensive end. Jokic and co. put on a clinic when it came to capitalizing on the little things to build a big lead.

I don't expect that to change on Monday. The Nuggets enter Game 2 with a 38-7 record inside Ball Arena and have won 11 of their last 16 home games against the Suns. Denver is motivated to prove it belongs after losing to the Suns 4-0 in a playoff series two years ago, so I'll back the home team here.

Final Score Prediction: Suns: 111 | Nuggets: 115

Suns vs. Nuggets Best Bet

The entire Nuggets team dominated from beyond the arc in Game 1, but it was Jamal Murray who led the squad with 6 makes in 10 attempts. He crushed his made threes line of 2.5 and it has risen to 3.5 for Game 2 as a result. That's still a mark he has surpassed in five of his last seven games overall.

Murray is shooting 45.2% from three-point range in that span and owns a strong 41.9% career three-point percentage in the NBA Playoffs. Phoenix's perimeter defense is no joke, but Murray is built for the big stage. The fact that this prop bet is listed at plus odds makes it too good to pass up.

Bet: Jamal Murray - Over 3.5 Made Threes (+132)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.