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The 2021-22 NBA season opening week will continue Wednesday night with a doubleheader beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The first game will be an Atlantic division between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks at Madison Square. Finally, to wrap-up the night, the Denver Nuggets will face off against the Phoenix Suns at 10 p.m. ET in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference semifinals. The Suns swept the Nuggets in four games last year en route to winning the West and making the NBA Finals.
Nuggets vs. Suns, 10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Pick ATS: Nuggets +6
The spread for Wednesday night’s season opener is currently sitting at six points. The Suns are 9-4 against the spread when they are listed as the favorite in their last 13 games. Denver is 1-4 against the spread in their last five games against Phoenix, which included their series last season.
However, when I look at this spot, I don’t think the Suns are six points better than the Nuggets. Denver has the reigning MVP in center Nikola Jokic, who can put up a triple-double in his sleep. They also have Michael Porter Jr., who took another step in his development as a scorer in the league.
Both Jokic and Porter averaged over 20 points per game last season. And then you also have to factor in the addition of Aaron Gordon for an entire offseason. When they played each other in the regular season, Denver went 2-1 against the Phoenix and their lone loss was by three points. I think it will be a fun game with a lot of points, but the Nuggets will cover.
Over/Under: Over 223.5
As we saw last season, both of these teams can score points. The Suns were ranked seventh in the league, averaging 115.3 points per game. The Nuggets were right behind them, with 115.1 points per game. In their three regular season meetings, the total points scored were 209, 256, and 232. Even though the last two regular season games went into overtime and double overtime, I’m still going to roll with the over to begin the season.
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