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Tonight the NBA conference semifinals tip off. The first of these games will be played between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets. Both sides won their opening series 4-1 and head into this game with healthy rosters. It should make for an incredibly exciting series, with both teams having preseason aspirations of going all the way. They split the regular-season series between them but will have to separated here.
You can watch the action live on TNT tonight. Also be sure to take a look at all of our sides and totals picks for the Suns vs Nuggets. But for now let’s get into my NBA first basket scorer selection below.
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Suns vs Nuggets first basket best bet: Nikola Jokic (+430)
Nikola Jokic has jumped for the opening tip twice for the Nuggets against the Phoenix Suns. He gained his team the first possession on both occasions. In one of those games he got the better of Deandre Ayton. The Nuggets have used this fact to knock down the first points in every game against the Suns this season. Jokic has been responsible for one of them and I expect him to open the scoring here, too.
On the season Jokic has opened the scoring for the Nuggets in 25 of his 74 starts. Sixteen of those were the first points in the game overall. No other Nugget player has managed more in either category. Look for him to go straight at Deandre Ayton here. He torched the Suns’ center for 41-points in that game, missing just 9 of his 25 shots in the process. Look for the Nuggets to try and get him going early from the start here, as well.
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