The Phoenix Suns (11-7) and defending-champion Denver Nuggets (13-6) meet tonight in a primetime matchup at Footprint Center. This is the Suns’ first chance in the regular season to get revenge on Denver for knocking them out of last season’s playoffs. However, Phoenix will be without Devin Booker tonight after he rolled his ankle in Wednesday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors. Denver will be without Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. The Suns had won seven straight before Wednesday, while the Nuggets enter tonight having won their last three games. Phoenix has won three games in a row at home. Kevin Durant is only 17 points away from moving into the top 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Local Game Information
Start Time: 8 p.m. MST
Location:Â Footprint Center
TV Channel: 3TV/AZ Family, ESPN
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream:Â Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 1, 2023
Betting Odds
Line:Â PHX -2.5
O/U:Â 223.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker (right ankle sprain) OUT | Bradley Beal (low back strain) OUT | Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Denver Nuggets:Â Jamal Murray (right ankle sprain) OUT | Aaron Gordon (right heel strain) OUT | Peyton Watson (illness) PROBABLE | Vlatko Cancar (left knee surgery) OUT
Starters
Phoenix Suns: Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Keita Bates-Diop Jusuf Nurkić
Denver Nuggets: Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Justin Holiday, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokić
Last Time Out
The Phoenix Suns had their seven game win streak snapped and fell to 11-7 on the year after a 112-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors (9-10) Wednesday. This was a game where pretty much the whole Suns’ team was off and Devin Booker rolled his ankle. This was also Kevin Durant’s first game back after missing the past two and he did have 30 points, but also shot the ball 30 times. Even with Toronto being on the second night of a back to back, they shut KD down and also Devin Booker who scored the fewest points of all the Suns’ starters with 8 on 2-of-12 shooting. Jusuf Nurkić had arguably his best performance of the year in the loss, posting 19 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.Â
Behind a Nikola Jokic triple-double, the Denver Nuggets improved to 13-6 on they year by defeating the Houston Rockets (8-8) 134-124 Wednesday. Jokic totaled 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebopunds, while Michael Porter Jr. had a season-high 30 points of his own. This was Jamal Murray’s first game back in 11 games, and he scored 16 points in his return. The Nuggets, as a team, had an insane 37 assists to three turnover ratio. This was one of Denver’s best offensive performances, as they had 19 threes total.
Flashback: Last Meeting (May 11, 2023 – Playoffs)
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Nuggets before their first matchup of the season (via Suns)
Each team’s stats (via Suns and Nuggets):
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Find offense without Devin Booker
- Focus on making defense play into offense
- Try to find best strategy to slow Jokic down
- Get Kevin Durant rolling
- Need to make sure “the others” play well in a game missing both Booker and Beal
WATCH: Suns’ Interviews and Footage from This Morning’s Shootaround
Eric Gordon and Phoenix Suns Look to Bounce Back Tonight against Defending Champion Denver Nuggets
Nassir Little Reflects on Becoming a Father for the First Time
Preview: Devin Booker Out
Devin Booker’s ankle setback sparks concerns for upcoming Suns-Nuggets clash
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
