Experts and bettors split on Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers
The Phoenix Suns battle the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night in a match up that Vegas does not favor one team or the other. It speaks to how unpredictable the Suns have been this year.
After losing a game to the Memphis Grizzlies where they were favored by eight points and dropping a gut-wrencher to the San Antonio Spurs in Mexico where they were favored by two, no one knows what to think when the Phoenix Suns battle the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night.
In fact, the Suns and Trail Blazers are a pick-em, meaning neither team is favored. On top of that, the percentage of bets is nearly evenly split with 51% siding with Portland and 49% siding with the Suns.
Why is this?
One major reason is question around Devin Booker‘s availability. The Suns’ star suffered a forearm contusion against the Grizzlies and was held out in Mexico versus the Spurs. Booker said he is fine despite his bandage slowing covering more and more surface area, so it is hard to say the true status.
With an extra couple days to heal, all eyes will be on the pre-game injury report to see if the Suns leading scorer will be able to suit up. Even if he does play, there will be a lot of anxious eyes watching how close to 100% he is, and how much he favors that forearm.
The other thing that makes this game so hard to predict is the Suns’ play has been so inconsistent. They will have one quarter where they look like the best team ever to step on a court followed by a quarter where they look like a junior varsity team stole a bunch of NBA jerseys and sneaked into the arena.
That might all change soon, however, because the most notable part of this game is that it is the 25th and final game of Deandre Ayton‘s suspension.
Only one more game for writers, bloggers, and fans alike to tweet out about how much this team misses Ayton. One more game for opposing teams to look for ways to exploit the Suns down low. Only one more game.
It would have been nice if the Suns were to get Ayton back while being on a win streak. It would have been good for them to not need him to turn everything around. While the situation might not be that dire, a Suns win Monday night could help ease the tension for him when he makes his return Tuesday against the red-hot LA Clippers.
Next. Quarter season report: Frank Kaminsky. dark
And no one can predict what will happen.