Game: Phoenix Suns @ Brooklyn Nets
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Odds: Suns -4.5, Nets +4.5
Total: 226
The Phoenix Suns head east and will face the Brooklyn Nets tonight at the Barclays Center. The game is significant since Suns star Devin Booker will make his long-awaited comeback from injury tonight. This is the moment that all Suns fans have been eagerly waiting with bated breath.
Booker’s most recent appearance was on Christmas Day, when he faced the Nuggets but only lasted for four minutes before leaving the game. Since that time, the Suns have a record of 11-15 SU. They are having significant difficulties on offense, and are scoring only 108.8 points per game on average since losing Booker. Having their leading scorer back should jump-start the Phoenix offense.
Since Chris Paul has been back on the court for the Suns, the team has rebounded somewhat, going 8-2 SU and ATS in their last 10 games. They have covered the spread in six of their last eight road games, and they are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games against teams from the Eastern Conference.
After suffering a defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers by a score of 124-116 last night, the Brooklyn Nets have a difficult road ahead of them. They lack any real talent to be competitive against upper-tier teams like Phoenix. The trade of Kyrie Irving has left Brooklyn without any bona fide stars in its lineup. Last night, it was Cam Thomas once again who flourished with 47 points. Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons were both out for the Nets last night.
Durant, who has an injured knee, remains out. Simmons is listed as probable for tonight. Spencer Dinwiddie, acquired from Dallas in the Irving trade, is listed as questionable and could play for the first time for Brooklyn tonight.
In their last 13 games against teams from the Western Conference, the Nets have a record of 10-3 against the spread. They are also 4-1 ATS in their last five games. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back will be difficult for Brooklyn, especially facing a rested Suns team. And, it’s a rested Suns team with a healthy Paul and Booker both back in the lineup.
For the Nets, without any studs in its lineup head coach Jacque Vaughn has been trying to win games in transition. The results have been mixed, but the Nets have been putting up more points as well as giving up more points. As a result, the total has gone Over in six of the Nets’ last seven games and four of their last five home games. In the series against the Suns, the Over is 4-1 in the last five games.
Looking at the three most recent matchups between these two teams, we see that there was an average of 227 points scored and that the over cashed a winning ticket on two occasions. The Suns’ last two games have gone Under. The Under is 8-2 in the last ten games Phoenix has played on the road against Brooklyn.
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