The Suns face an uphill battle as they head home trailing Denver 2-0 in the series, with history not on their side.
The Phoenix Suns have faced difficulties in the second round, as they have been outscored by Denver by a combined 28 points in the first two away games of the series.
The Suns are aiming to claim their first victory in downtown Phoenix on Friday night in Game 3 against their opponent. yengols.com, the top source for Arizona sportsbook deals, examined past series dating back to 1978 in which the Suns lost the first two games to analyze their performance.
Suns fans might not be happy to hear that despite being favored by 3.5 points with a moneyline of -165 in Game 3, the outlook is not promising.
The Suns’ playoff history when trailing 0-2
- During the Western Conference Finals of the 1978-79 season, we were bested by Seattle in a 7-game series.
- During the 1979-80 season, we were eliminated by the L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals after a 5-game series.
- During the 1981-82 season, the team was defeated by the L.A. Lakers in four games in the Western Conference semifinals.
- During the 1983-84 season, the team was defeated by the L.A. Lakers in a six-game series in the World Championship Finals.
- During the 1988-89 season, the team was defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game series in the NBA Finals.
- During the 1989-90 season, the team lost to Portland in the Western Conference Finals in six games.
- During the 1991-92 season, we were eliminated by Portland in five games in the Western Conference semifinals.
- During the 1992-93 season, the team defeated the L.A. Lakers in five games in the first round, but fell short in the NBA Finals against Chicago in six games.
- During the 1995-96 season, the team suffered a quick defeat in the first round, losing to San Antonio in just four games.
- During the 1998-99 season, the team suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Portland, losing in just three games.
- We lost to the L.A. Lakers in the WC semifinals in just five games during the 1999-2000 season.
- We lost to San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals in the 2004-05 season, only lasting 5 games.
- During the 2007-08 season, they were eliminated in the opening round by San Antonio in a five-game series.
- During the 2009-10 season, we lost to San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals in six games.
- Total: 1-14
The Suns have faced challenges when trailing 2-0 throughout their franchise history.
Phoenix’s odds to win the NBA title at BetMGM Sportsbook in Arizona have decreased significantly from +400, the second best odds before Game 1, to +1200, now ranking sixth highest.
The team’s chances of winning the Western Conference decreased from +145 a week ago to +650 on Thursday.
Historical evidence suggests that the odds may be more favorable than expected.
Phoenix has struggled to come back from 2-0 deficits, with their last series win in this situation occurring in the 1993 Western Conference First Round against the Lakers, back when the playoffs were best-of-five.
During that season, Phoenix won three straight games against L.A. to advance to the second round. They went on to beat the Spurs in six games and then defeated the Super Sonics in six games to advance to the NBA Finals.
During the series against the Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, the Suns once again found themselves behind 2-0. They ended up losing the series in six games to Chicago.
After three decades, the Suns find themselves in a disappointing situation once more, leaving fans who placed bets on the team through Arizona betting apps feeling let down. They suffered a 125-107 loss in Game 1 and then blew a third-quarter lead in Game 2, ultimately falling 97-87.
The Suns are aiming to keep Denver from turning the tables on last year’s postseason as Game 3 approaches on Friday.
In that season, the Suns swept the Nuggets in four games, propelling them to their first NBA Finals appearance in nearly a decade.
Phoenix is looking to overcome their playoff struggles of over four decades by attempting to stage a comeback from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series for the first time as Game 3 approaches.
The key to victory lies in containing two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who leads the Nuggets in scoring (24.5), rebounding (11.8), and assists (9.8) throughout the entire game.
The performance of the Suns’ bench players will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of Game 3, as they have only contributed 28 points in the first two games of the series.
Chris Paul, a seasoned guard, will be unable to play in Games 3 and 4 due to a groin injury. As a result, Torrey Craig and Josh Okogie will be called upon to take on the guard role and step up for the team.
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Peterson Christopher has been reporting on sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years. He now serves as the lead writer at yengols.com, having previously worked for ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News.
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