NBA Odds – Brooklyn Nets at Phoenix Suns
Brooklyn Nets at Phoenix Suns (-5.5, 207 o/u)
After putting an abrupt end to the Golden State Warriors’ winning streak last Sunday with an impressive 107-95 victory, the Phoenix Suns (4-3) welcome the Brooklyn Nets (4-2) to the US Airways Center on Wednesday (9:00 p.m. Eastern).
Though the Suns are over .500 in the early going, they sit fourth in the high-powered Pacific Division, behind the Warriors, Kings, and Clippers. The Suns have shown great depth this season, with six players averaging double-figures and no one over 17 points per game. In fact, their leading scorer, Isaiah Thomas (16.9 PPG), doesn’t even start and is an early contender for Sixth Man of the Year.
The Suns’ coach, Jeff Hornacek, knows how important his bench is.
“I told our team with our depth, maybe we can wear them out by the end of the game,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said.
The Brooklyn Nets (4-2) come into Wednesday’s tilt after beating the Orlando Magic (104-96) on Sunday. Point guard Deron Williams has been peerless in the early going, averaging 20.8 points, 7.0 assists, and 56.9 percent shooting last week en route to Eastern Conference Player of the honors. Williams’ hot-streak has led the Nets to three wins in their last four games.
Wednesdays’ game should be a high-scoring affair, with both teams averaging right around 104 points per game. (Brooklyn is the fifth in the NBA in scoring with 104.7 points per game scored, and Phoenix is the seventh with 103.7.) The difference between the teams in the early going has been defence. The Nets are holding opponents well under 100 points per game (98.2), while the Suns are giving up almost as many as they score (103.3).
The recent history between these teams has been fairly even. In the last ten meetings, Brooklyn has won six and Phoenix four. But, last year, the Nets took two of two. They are currently 5.5-point road ‘dogs, however.
(Photo credit: Keith Allison (Flickr: Deron Williams) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
