Ever since the NBA trade deadline, the matchup that everyone has been waiting for is finally here when the Phoenix Suns go on the road to take on the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
These two teams were among the top favorites to win an NBA Championship this year, and the buildup in anticipation for this series has been monumental.
For one, Nikola Jokic will face one of the toughest tests of his young career, and it will give everyone a chance to see whether or not he can keep up his MVP-level of play against an equal opponent.
This will easily be the highest-profile series Kevin Durant has been a part of since their loss to the Bucks a few seasons back, and pairing up with Devin Booker was an absolute dream in the first round.
Ahead of the action on Saturday night, the Denver Nuggets draw the narrow favorite on their home court over the Phoenix Suns at -2.5.
Can the supporting cast measure up against Denver?
No team enjoys playing in the Denver altitude, and the Phoenix Suns are going to get a taste of this on Saturday night.
Not much needs to be said in the way of Durant and Booker and their performance on the court. The first round against the Clippers proved that they are a nearly perfect combination together.
The rest of the team is going to have to learn to follow suit, as Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton have been inconsistent at best, and they definitely could be due to step their game up against Denver.
Ayton will get the task of matching up with Nikola Jokic for most of the game, and this will certainly not be easy.
Proving that they can hang with the elite talent in the NBA
For as successful as the Nuggets have been in recent years, they are going to have a litmus test this series against the Suns.
Most don’t really believe in the potential of the Nuggets to perform in the playoffs, but a win against this loaded Suns team would prove many doubters wrong.
Without a doubt, this could be the series everyone looks back on in Jokic’s career on whether it made him or broke him.
Jamal Murray has proven himself to be an insane playoff asset, and his shooting is something that could swing multiple games this series, including the home opener.
Suns @ Nuggets Betting Prediction
These are two of the best teams that the Western Conference has to offer, and this is the first series of the second round of the playoffs.
The stars are going to be out in droves for this series, and seeing Booker, Paul, Jokic, Murray, and Durant all on the floor at the same time will make for memorable games.
As such a narrow home-court favorite, the Nuggets really are getting the nod due to the altitude, but both teams are even with each other. Take the Nuggets to win game one at -2.5.
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