Suns vs Nuggets

Here is all of the information you need to know for the Nuggets and Suns on Friday.

- G Jamal Murray - G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Kevin Durant returned to the lineup after the 13-time All-Star missed the previous 10 games due to an ankle injury.

Find out how to watch, live stream or TV channel and game time information for the March 31, 2023 matchup between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets.

NBA odds, picks, and predictions for the Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns on March 31. NBA betting best bet and free pick analysis.

The Nuggets have played 39-36-1 to the Under this year, tied for the eighth-highest rate of Unders. They also possess a rest advantage, a split in which they've covered at a 58.8% rate (10-7-1). The race has certainly tightened in the last week, with the two now neck-and-neck in [NBA MVP odds](https://www.covers.com/nba/nba-mvp-odds). [Suns](https://www.covers.com/sport/basketball/nba/teams/main/phoenix-suns) an understated amount of runway to really blow Friday's game wide open. However, it has been notably worse on the road (17-20, 46.0%). Possessing a rest advantage hasn't produced any convincing results relating to the total, splitting the 18 such games. Scoring-volume-wise, they've fared fine (their 37.1 PPG since the Durant trade ranks ninth), but efficiency-wise it has been a different story (their true shooting percentage ranks 20th during that time). It now sits at 226 across the market. And having a crack to display that tonight against a shorthanded Nuggets team should help. And while last night was a perfect demonstration of what the Nuggets are incapable of in his absence, there is belief that Denver will be even more shorthanded in this second leg of a road back-to-back. They will stay on the road and face the Phoenix Suns (41-35), who have now won three straight after securing a win on Wednesday night in Kevin Durant's return from injury. [Kevin Durant](https://www.covers.com/sport/basketball/nba/players/1998/kevin-durant)'s impact cannot be understated, as his mere presence makes the job of others easier.

With the Nuggets-Suns Friday night clash coming up, it's time to release the NBA odds, a pick and a prediction for the contest.

If Denver indeed is missing a couple starters from their lineup, the chances of them getting rattled on the road will only increase, especially since the Nuggets are prone to turn the ball over from time to time. Ever since the Phoenix Suns pulled the trigger in acquiring Kevin Durant via trade, basketball analysts and fans alike have assumed that this roster has the makings of partaking on a deep run come playoff time. Without a doubt, the Nuggets could stun the Suns on their home floor, but only if they’re able to start knocking down some shots. Believe it or not, the duo combined to shoot only 6-23 from the floor including 0-11 from downtown in the loss to the Pelicans. Despite a poor shooting performance that saw him go 5-18 from the field, the Suns were still able to prevail as they defeated the Timberwolves 107-100 in his first game back from the injury. It is time to check out our NBA odds [series](https://clutchpoints.com/betting) where our Nuggets-Suns prediction and pick will be revealed.

We go over some of the best betting options for Friday's matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns.

The total is set at 227. [Denver Nuggets](https://www.denverstiffs.com) (51-25) will clash with the [Phoenix Suns](https://www.brightsideofthesun.com) (41-35) at 10:30 p.m. On the moneyline, Phoenix’ price is inflated at -450 to win outright, while the Nuggets are a staggering +360 to pull off the road upset. Considering Denver is on a back-to-back after getting shellacked at home by the Pelicans 107-88, the Nuggets show many starters as questionable to play. The total comes in at 226.5 and we’ll keep our pick on the over, even with Denver missing its entire offensive arsenal. The current line after Denver’s latest injury report is Suns -12 and we’ll maintain our ATS pick with Phoenix.

Mar 31, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward T.J. Warren (21) is hit in the face while driving past Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (8) at ...

The Phoenix Suns had a great first half and a not so great second half on Friday in a win against the Denver Nuggets.

Aaron Gordon, the lone Nuggets starter to play, spent a good amount of time on Durant while Caldwell-Pope would take on the Booker assignment in a hypothetical series. As it turns out, he was not on the floor because of foul trouble across Denver’s big comeback, so he was a game-high +28. He’s developed a knack for grabbing a huge offensive rebound or turning on the defensive playmaking jets in clutch time. Durant made all four of his shot attempts in the first quarter for 12 points and ended up at 30 on 11-of-15 shooting with two blocks. Denver surely would have been in only single digits for the first quarter had Phoenix not allowed a few cuts and offensive rebounds, but even then, Phoenix led by 12 through a dozen minutes. “It was still late game situations and we were put in those so I think that’s good moving forward for us.” (left heel injury management) were all out on the second game of a back-to-back and the formality of a result played out that way in basketball form, 100-93. Phoenix at one point in the third quarter led by 27 but got too comfortable and had it cut all the way down to five early in the fourth quarter. Booker scored on a drive on the Suns’ next chance, a five-point swing to put them up six at 1:55 remaining. When Jokic is off the court, it’s a putrid 101.8 offensive rating, seven points lower than the league’s worst, and a 114.1 defensive rating would be 20th. Phoenix was unable to flip a switch back on to quickly end any threats so it could relax the rest of the way. “We talk about our scale being from 7-10, not 1-10 and I thought it dropped below seven in the third quarter.

They'd go without Jokic, Murray, Porter Jr, and Caldwell-Pope in this - at least for the Phoenix Suns - all-important match-up. A lackluster third quarter saw ...

Questionable shot selection, muddied movement, and turnovers all allowed for the Nuggets to come back into the game. The Suns saw Kevin Durant come out early re-establish his touch and feel for scoring. His true shooting percentage was 80.6. In addition to Durant’s scoring flow, Devin Booker had 18 first-half points. He found a rhythm shortly after Durant and began to put his stamp on the game in the half-court. A lackluster third quarter from the Suns allowed Nuggets to cut their lead to as little as four points and threatened them multiple times before Phoenix got back right to finish the game in the end.

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game on March 31, 2023.

[Bruce Brown](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4065670/bruce-brown) scored 16 points and [Reggie Jackson](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6443/reggie-jackson) had 13. [Ish Smith](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4305/ish-smith) shot just 1 of 10 from the field. [Aaron Gordon](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3064290/aaron-gordon) had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Nuggets. Okogie had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including four 3-pointers, and [Chris Paul](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2779/chris-paul) had 13 assists. Instead, Durant and Paul were discussing how good Caitlin Clark's been for Iowa in the women's NCAA Tournament. [Josh Okogie](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4065663/josh-okogie) nailed a corner 3 to seal it for the Suns. Durant shot 11 of 15 from the field in a dominant performance two days after a rough shooting night in his home debut against Minnesota. “We know we were missing guys but that doesn’t change the culture here. Denver cut it to 97-93 in the final minute, but The Suns improved to 5-0 with Durant in the lineup despite nearly blowing a 27-point lead. “I like how we played in the first half, but it was a bad second half for us," Durant said. Guys just wouldn't do it.”

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game on 1 April 2023.

[Bruce Brown](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4065670/bruce-brown) scored 16 points and [Reggie Jackson](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6443/reggie-jackson) had 13. [Ish Smith](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4305/ish-smith) shot just 1 of 10 from the field. [Aaron Gordon](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3064290/aaron-gordon) had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Nuggets. Okogie had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including four 3-pointers, and [Chris Paul](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2779/chris-paul) had 13 assists. Instead, Durant and Paul were discussing how good Caitlin Clark's been for Iowa in the women's NCAA Tournament. [Josh Okogie](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4065663/josh-okogie) nailed a corner 3 to seal it for the Suns. Durant shot 11 of 15 from the field in a dominant performance two days after a rough shooting night in his home debut against Minnesota. “We know we were missing guys but that doesn’t change the culture here. Denver cut it to 97-93 in the final minute, but The Suns improved to 5-0 with Durant in the lineup despite nearly blowing a 27-point lead. “I like how we played in the first half, but it was a bad second half for us," Durant said. Guys just wouldn't do it.”

The Denver Nuggets have clinched a playoff spot and are currently leading the Western Conference, but they are working to stay in winning form in ...

SportsLine's computer model simulated Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets 10000 times and revealed its best bets and NBA picks today.

[Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Suns vs. The model has simulated Suns vs. Nuggets 10,000 times and the results are in. Here are several [NBA betting lines](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/odds) for Suns vs. Nuggets](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/game-forecast/NBA_20230331_DEN@PHO/) and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. [Kevin Durant](/nba/players/1231866/kevin-durant/) added 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Phoenix sits in fourth place in the Western Conference standings and has a 2.5-game cushion in the race to avoid the play-in tournament. [You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/suns-vs-nuggets-prediction-odds-line-spread-start-time-proven-model-reveals-nba-picks-best-bets-for-mar-31-2023/#ttag=03312023_agg_cbssports_picks_basketball_nba_model_SunsNuggetsAUTO). Phoenix is favored by 8.5 points in the latest Suns vs. [NBA](/nba/) game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated [NBA picks](https://www.sportsline.com/nba/picks/) over the past four-plus seasons. Nuggets odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 227. [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope](/nba/players/2067660/kentavious-caldwell-pope/) (illness), [Michael Porter Jr](/nba/players/2892728/michael-porter-jr/).