NBA: Brooklyn Nets vs. Phoenix Suns Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Brooklyn Nets continue their road trip through the Western Conference, and now they land in Arizona to face the Phoenix Suns. Boys from the Big Apple show signs of progress, especially Kyrie Irving, who dropped 40 last night, but the Suns have their own weapons for this matchup. In case you didn’t notice, Monty Williams’ side is 9-1 in the last ten matches, beating several pretty serious teams during that run. This is a perfect chance to add one more scalp to their collection.

Preview

Brooklyn Nets (16-12, +105) will play without Kevin Durant, but once you have both Kyrie Irving and James Harden on fire, that isn’t a big problem. Sure, KD is one of the best in the last decade, but when these two guys start splashing buckets, there is no need for his involvement.

Last night the Nets defeated Sacramento Kings on the road, with Kyrie dropping 40 buckets, while shooting 15-for-22 and adding nine threes in 11 shots, which is pretty remarkable. One more guy was remarkable, but to be honest, we got used to seeing him in that mode.

James Harden added another triple-double to his account, having 29 points, 14 assists, 13 boards, 10-for-18 from the floor, and six downtown hits. These two had plenty of support from their teammates, as five more of them added double-digit numbers in the points column. Nets were shooting threes like possessed, making 27 in 47 tries, setting a new franchise record in long-distance hits scored.

Phoenix Suns (17-9, -115) poted six in a row, all of them at home, indicating that the PHX Arena became a stronghold that won’t be easy to conquer. Suns are a team that knows how to adapt to the rivals’ gameplan and philosophy, which is why their matches always oscillate with efficiency.

For example, the latest game, vs. Magic, saw 199 points, while the one against the Bucks ended with 249. That is a 50-point difference, and even for the NBA, it is too much. Yet, for the Suns, this ability is one of their biggest strengths.

The one thing that is constant in Phoenix is Devin Booker’s scoring. During this victorious stretch, he wasn’t the leading scorer just once. Booker drops 24.5 points per night this year, with 49.4% percent and 4.3 assists.

Head to Head Games

These two teams posted one win each last year, using the home-court advantage. Phoenix demolished the Nets in Arizona, 138-112, while Brooklyn responded with a similar force, 119-97.

Prediction

The line for the total number of points is set at 230, which is, in our opinion, good for picking over. There is no doubt that the Suns will accept Brooklyn’s high-paced style of play, and that we might see a replay of the match they played against the Bucks. Brooklyn is shooting well over the past few games, with Irving reaching a superb level in the offense.

That is why we believe that it is better to avoid betting on the winner but chose to go with high efficiency, which is something pretty usual when Nets appear on the court. Just remember that their game against the Kings saw 261 points.