Denver’s latest win showed what Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray can provide when a comfortable lead starts to shrink. Phoenix’s latest loss raised the opposite question: how much can the Suns get done when Devin Booker barely scores? Those two performances make Friday’s matchup more interesting than the early records suggest, with Denver favored by 4.5 points in the morning DraftKings snapshot and both teams still searching for consistent results.
Denver had an answer when the game tightened
The Nuggets beat New Orleans 104-91 on Wednesday to move to 2-2. Jokic finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, while Murray scored 23. Aaron Gordon added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The important detail came late. After New Orleans cut the lead to 88-83, Murray answered with a three-pointer and a driving finish to restore a 10-point advantage. Denver never trailed, but it still needed to stop the Pelicans’ comeback. Murray supplied that response rather than letting the earlier lead become the whole story.
That win was also a reminder of how variable Denver’s games have been. The Nuggets scored 141 against New Orleans on Saturday, then lost 134-114 to Golden State before their 104-point outing Wednesday. Both Denver wins have come against the Pelicans; Phoenix offers a different opponent against which to test that execution.
Cameron Johnson missed Wednesday’s game with an ankle issue. Thursday’s ankle update describes him as questionable for Friday against Phoenix, making his availability worth following for Denver’s wing group.
Phoenix needs more from Booker
The Suns lost 125-114 at Oklahoma City on Monday, falling to 1-2. Jalen Green scored 20 points, Dillon Brooks had 19 and Miles Bridges added 17, but Booker finished with three points on 1-for-7 shooting. Phoenix found contributions around him, yet still trailed 67-53 at halftime.
Those supporting totals give the Suns a plausible way to improve if Booker has a more productive night. They also show why a bounceback can’t be reduced to one player’s scoring. Oklahoma City was missing several regular contributors and still put up 125, with Ajay Mitchell scoring 30 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adding 26.
Our grades frame the matchup as Denver’s stronger attack against Phoenix’s stronger defensive evaluation: the Nuggets receive an A- offensively and the Suns a B+ defensively. Phoenix’s offense gets a C, while Denver’s defense receives a C+. That leaves room for the Suns to respond, but they need to turn that opening into steadier production than Monday’s Booker performance allowed.
Our projections put Denver at roughly 29 assists and Phoenix at 25. Jokic’s 10 assists Wednesday offer a recent example of how Denver can distribute its offense. For Phoenix, keeping the Nuggets from getting comfortable contributions around Jokic and Murray matters as much as finding more points of its own.
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The spread and total ask different questions
The early-season results offer a reason to be careful about margins: Denver has covered once in four games, while Phoenix has yet to cover in three. Even the Suns’ 131-122 win over Golden State wasn’t enough at that game’s spread. The Nuggets’ two wins likewise shouldn’t be treated as evidence that they have consistently created the margins bettors needed.
The same DraftKings snapshot puts the total at 231.5. Denver’s offensive grade and its 141-point game give the higher-scoring case something concrete, while Phoenix has scored 131 and 114 in its last two games. Booker’s three-point night also leaves a clear source of possible improvement rather than a reason to assume the same output will repeat.
The counterweight is Denver’s most recent result: it won with 104 points while holding New Orleans to 91. Phoenix’s positive defensive evaluation also pushes back against assuming Denver’s best offensive night is the template. The scoring outlook depends on whether the Suns can sustain their supporting contributions with a better Booker performance, and how effectively they can interrupt Denver’s passing.
Denver brings the more convincing offensive assessment and a recent example of Murray finishing the job alongside Jokic. Phoenix brings useful production from Green, Brooks and Bridges, with much more still needed from Booker. Watch whether that supporting scoring survives alongside his response, rather than treating a Booker bounceback alone as a complete answer to Denver’s attack.
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