Nets vs. Suns Predictions, Odds, Preview

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

7 minute read

Feb. 16, 2021

by Jonathan Willis
NBA Expert
VegasInsider.com

The Brooklyn Nets made history in their 136-125 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. Brooklyn knocked down a team record 27 three-pointers in the win to move to 17-12 on the year.

James Harden expressed his approval of the team’s effort afterwards, as he and Kyrie Irving combined to make 15 triples between the two of them.

However, despite last night’s great performance, the Nets are underdogs against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

Nets vs. Suns Betting Resources

Matchup: Eastern vs. Western Conference
Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
Venue: Talking Stick Resort Arena
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021
Time: 10:05 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Bet: BetMGM | BetRivers |FanDuel |bet365 |DraftKings |Best Sportsbooks

Betting Odds - Nets vs. Suns

Line Movements

Subject to Change

Spread: Suns -4.5
Money-Line: Phoenix -185, Brooklyn +165
Total: 232.5

Nets' guard Kyrie Irving will sit out tonight against Phoenix with a back injury. (AP)

Nets vs. Suns Current Form-Last Game

Phoenix was 8-8 through the first month and change of the season before taking its play to another level. The Suns have since won nine of their last ten games to put themselves smack dab in the middle of the playoff picture. This franchise hasn’t made the playoffs in over a decade, and their fans are hungry for a return to prominence.

Their only loss during this stretch was on the road against New Orleans. Phoenix had hammered Golden State and edged Dallas in back-to-back games prior to that defeat.

The Suns have now won six straight games since losing to the Pelicans, and victories over Milwaukee and Philadelphia in back-to-back games turned some heads in NBA circles.

Devin Booker led the Suns in scoring for the sixth time in the last seven games in Phoenix’s 109-90 win over Orlando on Valentine’s Day. This team’s performance was impressive considering they were coming off a 120-111 win over Philadelphia the previous night.

Booker scored a game-high 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting as the Magic fell behind by 12 points at the end of the first quarter and never cut it to within single digits.

Brooklyn had lost three straight games prior to the team’s current three-game winning streak. The Nets fell at home to Toronto and then lost on the road against Philadelphia before suffering a humiliating loss against Detroit last Tuesday. That served as a wake-up call with Brooklyn beating Indiana, Golden State, and Sacramento by double-digits in the last week.

Monday’s win over the Kings saw the Nets go 27 of 47 (57.4 percent) from beyond the arc. Only one of the nine players to take the court made less than 50 percent of his field goals, and Harden finished the game with an absurd plus/minus of +33.

Harden had 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists, while Irving had a game-high 40 points.

Nets vs. Suns Head-to-Head

Feb. 3, 2020 - Nets 119 vs. Suns 97, Brooklyn -2.5, Under 224.5
Nov. 10, 2019 - Suns 138 vs. Nets 112, Phoenix -3, Over 232

(SU-Straight Up, ATS - Against the Spread, OU - Over-Under)

Brooklyn Nets Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 17-12 SU, 13-16 ATS, 21-8 OU
Road: 6-7 SU, 5-8 ATS, 10-3 OU

Kevin Durant will miss this game due to a hamstring injury. That means Phoenix will see a heavy dose of Harden and Irving on Tuesday.

Irving is averaging 28.3 PPG, making 53.4 percent of his field goals and 44.2 percent of his three-point attempts. He is Brooklyn’s only 50/40/90 player currently, and he is also averaging 4.6 RPG and 5.7 APG. His time on the ball has decreased significantly with Harden in Brooklyn, but the two have settled into a dynamic where Irving sees a lot of looks from Harden. That has Irving poised to shatter his career-best shooting percentage marks.

As for Harden, he is redefining himself as a distributor. With two elite talents in Durant and Irving alongside him, he is averaging 11.8 APG this season. He has notched at least 10 assists in 13 of his 15 games with the Nets, and he already has six triple-doubles.

Harden is making at least 40 percent of his treys along with Durant, Irving, and two other Brooklyn players to make this one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league.

With Harden, Durant, and Irving making almost $115 million combined this season, there isn’t much depth available for Brooklyn. Spencer Dinwiddie tore his ACL shortly after the season started too, further straining this team’s bench. That has put some pressure on players like Joe Harris although he doesn’t receive nearly the same attention as the three superstars.

Phoenix Suns Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 17-9 SU, 17-9 ATS, 11-15 OU
Home: 10-4 SU, 10-4 ATS, 7-7 OU

Phoenix announced that first-round pick Jalen Smith would be sent to the G League on Monday. Smith has been unable to crack the rotation this year, leaving Suns’ fans bemoaning their draft luck. He was taken with the No. 10 overall pick, while No. 12 pick Tyrese Haliburton is one of the best rookies in this class.

Booker continues to get better each season. Booker is averaging a team-high 24.5 PPG and has registered 30 points or more in three of Phoenix’s last four games. He has knocked down at least 50 percent of his field goals in each of the Suns’ last our wins, as he continues to build a rapport with Chris Paul.

CP3 is still putting in work at the age of 35 years old. Paul is averaging 16.7 PPG and leads the team with 8.2 APG. His addition has allowed Booker the opportunity to become more of a scoring threat, finding ways to get open off the ball. Paul is hitting a career-best 97.1 percent of his free throws too.

The frontcourt has done some damage with Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges both averaging at least 32.0 MPG.

Ayton is good for a nightly double-double with 13.8 PPG and 12.3 RPG, and he is pulling down 3.8 offensive rebounds a game too. Bridges is hitting over 50 percent of his field goals and almost 40 percent of his threes to become Phoenix’s most reliable perimeter shooter.

Key Injuries

Brooklyn Nets

SF Kevin Durant: Hamstring - Out
PG Kyrie Irving: Back - Out

Phoenix Suns

None