The only NBA second round playoff series that is not tied 1-1 after two games is the series between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. Denver has taken a convincing 2-0 lead in this series, and the Suns now need to win at home to avoid an 0-3 hole in this series. In our NBA best bets for Friday night, we look at Nuggets vs Suns Game 3 from Phoenix.

Nuggets vs Suns Game 3 Betting Pick

This game will be played at Footprint Center at 10:00 PM ET on Friday, May 5, 2023.

Why Bet the Nuggets:

Chris Paul is set to miss this game with a groin injury. That will take a Suns bench that is already thin and take one of its members and move them into the starting lineup. That is not a good sign for the Suns.

Phoenix got four bench points in Game 2 against the Nuggets, with their bench players shooting a combined 2/16 from the floor. It is going to be hard for them to win in this series with the lack of depth they are dealing with.

Phoenix just does not have an answer for Nikola Jokic in this series. Jokic scored 39 points in Game 2, and Deandre Ayton of the Suns seems simply overmatched right now.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are off to a dream start in this series against the Phoenix Suns, winning the first two games of this series by double digits. MVP runner up Nikola Jokic has been on fire in this series so far, and nearly scored 40 points in Denver’s Game 2 win. Here, the Nuggets go on the road, where they will look to use their depth to take a 3-0 series lead.

The Nuggets are running with a shorter rotation than the Suns, playing just eight players in the second game of this series. But they are still the deeper team in spite of that short rotation, outscoring the Suns bench 13-2 in Game 2. A similar bench discrepancy in this game could all but put this series out of reach.

Phoenix Suns

While the Phoenix Suns have a ton of star power, they have struggled early in this series with the Denver Nuggets. They are off to an 0-2 start, and are in danger of rendering the Kevin Durant trade worthless if they cannot start winning some games in this series.

Durant is being asked to do way too much in this series so far, as he had to take 27 shots against the Nuggets in Game 2. It is hard for this team to achieve any sort of balance given that they don’t have any consistent scorers beyond their top three or four players. With Chris Paul out, Durant and Devin Booker will be asked to do even more.

The post Nuggets vs Suns Game 3 Pick: Suns Face Must-Win Game at Home appeared first on ATS Sports Betting Picks - Against The Spread Predictions.