Suns vs Nuggets Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for NBA Playoffs Game 5 (Superstars Trade Buckets in Mile High City)

The 2022-23 NBA Playoffs continue on Tuesday, May 9 with Game 5 of the second-round series between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns.

Suns vs Nuggets Game 5 Info

• Series: Series tied 2-2
• Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2023
• Time: 10 p.m. ET
• Venue: Ball Arena -- Denver, Colorado
• Coverage: TNT

After trailing 0-2 heading back to Phoenix, the Suns tied the series with a 129-124 win over the Nuggets in Game 4. Nikola Jokic's 53-point, 11-assist double-double wasn't enough for Denver as Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined for 72 points on 25-of-37 shooting (67.6%) to lead their team to victory.

Suns vs Nuggets Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: PHO: (+172) | DEN: (-205)
• Spread: PHO: +5.5 (-114) | DEN: -5.5 (-106)
• Total: 227.5 -- Over: (-114) | Under: (-108)

The Nuggets enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 227.5 points with the Over being favored at -114 odds.

Suns vs Nuggets Betting Trends

• Phoenix is 10-5 straight up (SU) in its last 15 games against Denver.
• Denver is 7-0 SU in its last seven home games.
• Phoenix is 1-4 against the spread (ATS) in its last five road games.
• Denver is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games as the favorite.
• The total has hit the Over in four of Phoenix's last five games.
• The total has hit the Over in six of Denver's last eight games played in May.

Suns vs Nuggets Prediction & Pick

Momentum is back on the Suns' side after back-to-back victories at Footprint Center. Now they face the task of trying to win at Ball Arena after being outscored there by an average of 14 points in Games 1 and 2. In fact, Phoenix has now lost four straight trips to the Mile High City.

Check out more NBA Playoffs content from The Duel:

The Suns have a chance to break that trend if they keep finding success on the outside after shooting 13-of-29 (44.8%) from three-point range in Game 4. Unfortunately, building on that is easier said than done. The Nuggets are typically great at defending the three-ball, allowing opponents to only shoot 32.2% from beyond the arc at home — No. 1 in the NBA.

It's also hard trusting Phoenix on the road when it's getting little offensive production outside of Booker and Durant. Deandre Ayton is the next-highest scorer on his team this series at a 10.0 PPG clip. Meanwhile, Denver is at least getting points out of players not named Jokic or Jamal Murray, such as Aaron Gordon (14.8 PPG) and Michael Porter Jr. (12.0 PPG).

After letting Jokic's 53-point effort go to waste on Sunday, expect the Nuggets to make things right by beating the Suns at Ball Arena, once again.

Final Score Prediction: Nuggets: 121 | Suns: 118

Suns vs Nuggets Best Bet

I don't have any issues taking the Over on the 227.5-point total as Game 5's best bet. The Suns and Nuggets are averaging 226 total points through four games, going over 227.5 three times. On top of that, the Over is also 9-3 in Phoenix's last 12 Western Conference games, as well as 6-2 in Denver's previous eight played in May.

With four of the last five Suns-Nuggets tilts going over their projected totals, expect even more offense in Game 5

Bet: Over 227.5 Total Points (-114)

Watch FanDuel TV’s new NBA show “Run It Back” with Shams Charania, Michelle Beadle, Chandler Parsons, and Eddie Gonzalez Monday-Wednesday at 10 ET on FanDuel TV, the FanDuel Youtube page, or download the podcast here: fanduel.com/podcasts.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.