Suns vs Nuggets Prediction, Odds & Best Bets | NBA Picks Today (3/5): Jokic Displays Playmaking Prowess

Today’s Suns vs Nuggets prediction and NBA best bets are brought to you by Bovada. Bovada is a market leader in sports betting, offering various options from the NBA to the UFC and everything in between.

Tuesday night is a busy one around the NBA with nine matchups scheduled for March 5, including two TNT broadcasts. The excitement comes to a close at 10 p.m. ET when the Phoenix Suns (35-26) go one-on-one with the Denver Nuggets (42-19) at Ball Arena.

A fun night of hoops coming your way ?@Celtics vs. @Cavs@Suns vs. @Nuggets

? 7 PM ET | TNT and @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/Ul2mVMp6vI

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 5, 2024

The Suns are hoping to avoid a third consecutive loss after falling 118-110 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are heading in the opposite direction, as Saturday’s 124-114 win against the Los Angeles Lakers marked their sixth victory in a row.

Don’t be surprised if one of these teams represents the West in the 2023-24 NBA Finals. Denver is currently the +225 favorite to win the Western Conference Finals while Phoenix sits fifth at +1000, per Bovada’s futures markets.

If you want to get in on the Suns vs. Nuggets betting action, you’ve come to the right place. Keep scrolling for tonight’s predictions and best bets.

Suns vs Nuggets NBA Betting Tonight (3/5)

Suns vs Nuggets Matchup Information

• Matchup: Phoenix Suns (35-26, 15-13 Away) vs. Denver Nuggets (42-19, 24-5 Home)
• Venue & Location: Ball Arena (Denver, CO)
• Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2024
• Game Time: 10 p.m. ET
• How to Watch Suns vs. Nuggets: TNT

Nuggets vs Suns Odds & Spread

Nuggets vs. Suns odds are courtesy of Bovada as of Tuesday, March 5 at 10:05 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Suns vs Nuggets Spread

• Phoenix Suns +9.5 (-110)
• Denver Nuggets -9.5 (-110)

Nuggets vs Suns Over/Under

• Over 223.5 Points (-110)
• Under 223.5 Points (-110)

Suns vs Nuggets Moneyline

• Phoenix Suns (+340)
• Denver Nuggets (-460)

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Best Bets and Picks Tonight

Looking to get in on even more NBA picks today? Check out our NBA Picks page for consensus picks for every 2023-24 season game.

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Suns vs Nuggets NBA Betting Trends

• Phoenix is 2-5 straight up in its last seven games vs. Denver.
• Denver is 10-1 straight up in its last 11 home games.
• Phoenix is 1-5 ATS in its last six games.
• Denver is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games vs. Phoenix.
• The total hit the Under in four of Phoenix’s last five road games.
• The total hit the Under in eight of Denver’s last nine games played in March.

Suns vs Nuggets Prediction & NBA Picks Today (3/5): Can Phoenix Halt Denver?

Sunday’s loss to the Thunder was the Suns’ first without Devin Booker as the star guard is set to miss “at least 7 to 10 days” with an ankle injury. The 27-year-old’s absence is a big reason why Phoenix is the 9.5-point underdog tonight seeing as how the Suns are 4-10 SU in the last 14 games that the ex-Kentucky Wildcat missed.

In addition to Booker, the Suns will also be without Nassir Little (knee) and Josh Okogie (abdomen) while Jusuf Nurkic is questionable with calf tightness. Unfortunately for the visitors, the Nuggets boast a clean bill of health ahead of tonight’s collision.

Phoenix also faces an uphill battle given Denver’s recent run, going 6-0 SU with a plus-14.7 average scoring margin in the last six games. On the flip side, the Suns are 2-4 SU while being outscored by an average of 2.7 PPG in their last six outings.

The pressure is on for Kevin Durant and the Suns to succeed without Devin Booker (ankle). 

Unfortunately, playing on the road hasn’t brought the Suns much success lately. Not only have they dropped six of their last nine away contests, but they’ve also lost three in a row on the road by an average of 5.0 points. Phoenix is also only 4-6 SU as the road underdog this season, whereas Denver is 24-5 SU as the home favorite.

Speaking of which, the Nuggets have emerged victorious in 10 of their last 11 home games, highlighting their dominance at Ball Arena. They displayed some great basketball during that stretch, averaging 116.1 PPG on 51.0% shooting while also putting up 45.1 rebounds, 30.5 assists, and 10.7 three-pointers made.

It’s worth noting that the Suns have dropped five straight trips to Ball Arena, having not won in Denver since March 24, 2022. Only one of those games was decided by a single possession as the Nuggets outscored the Suns by an average of 13.2 PPG. Phoenix was also held to 107 or fewer points in each of its last four road games against Denver.

The Nuggets are difficult to defeat at Ball Arena and the Suns have learned that the hard way since 2022. 

The Suns can’t be trusted with Booker sidelined, so let’s take the Nuggets to win tonight. As usual, Denver is firing on all cylinders at the moment and it’s going to take a lot to slow the team down. The Nuggets know how to shut the Suns’ offense down, so I expect more of the same before Nikola Jokic & Co. emerge with another win.

I’m also backing Denver to cover the spread. The Nuggets are spread-covering savants, going 5-1 ATS in their last six games as well as 4-1 ATS in their five previous outings as the favorite. The Suns, meanwhile, are 1-5 ATS in their last six outings and 3-10 ATS across their last 13 games played in March.

Considering how the Suns lost by eight points to the Nuggets in a home game without Booker on Dec. 1, I feel good about Denver’s odds to cover at Ball Arena.

Suns vs Nuggets Prediction: DEN wins

Best Suns vs Nuggets NBA Bet: DEN -9.5 (-110)

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Best Suns vs Nuggets NBA Prop Bet (3/5)

I have no issue with taking Nikola Jokic to record over 8.5 assists for the best Suns vs. Nuggets player prop pick.

Jokic has been wheeling and dealing throughout the 2023-24 NBA season. The Serbian superstar is averaging 9.2 assists per game on the year, which has only jumped up to 11.7 across his last six games — a span where he’s hit the Over four times. Furthermore, the Over is also 7-4 across his last 11 home games as he averaged 10.7 APG.

Having also finished with the Over in five straight encounters with the Suns (13.6 APG), it’s a no-brainer to back this Jokic-based prop tonight.