Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Chart for Dec. 23 | 2024-25 NBA season

The Phoenix Suns travel to Colorado to take on the Denver Nuggets on Monday in a game that pits two former league MVP's players against each other. Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant will be the headline names on display, but there there will be plenty of other talented stars on the court at the Ball Arena.

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Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Chart

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone has stayed relatively firm with his starting five, using a familiar lineup to begin most games.

Michael Porter Jr. leads the way with 25 starts, but Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun have all started at least 20 games. The return of Aaron Gordon from injury in the end of November gives Malone his preferred five.

Former MVP guard Russell Westbrook has started six games this season but will likely come off the bench.

Denver will be without forward Vlatko Cancar and center DaRon Holmes II for Monday's matchup, with both players sidelined with injuries.

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Denver Nuggets depth chart

G	Jamal Murray	Russell Westbrook	Jalen Pickett
G	Christian Braun	Julian Stawther	Trey Alexander
F	Michael Porter Jr.	Hunter Tyson	Vlato Cancar (O)
F	Aaron Gordon	Peyton Watson	Zeke Nnaji	PJ Hall
C	Nikola Jokic	DeAndre Jordan	Dario Saric	DaRon Holmes II (O)

Newly appointed coach Mike Budenholzer has experimented quite a bit with his starting lineup. The Phoenix Suns have started 11 different players over the first 27 games of the campaign. Point guard Tyus Jones leads the roster with 27 starts.

Devin Booker, who ranks second in the team with 26 starts, is set to miss the game due to a groin injury. The All-Star shooting guard will be re-evaluated this week but is sidelined fagainst Denver. Guards Grayson Allen, Collin Gillespie and center Bol Bol are also out with injuries.

Expect to see the same starting group that took on the Detroit Pistons on Saturday with Tyus Jones, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, Royce O'Neale and Jusuf Nurkic set to start.

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Phoenix Suns depth chart

G	Tyus Jones	Monte Morris	TyTy Washington Jr.	Collin Gillespie (O)
G	Devin Booker (O)	Grayson Allen (O)	Damion Lee
F	Bradley Beal	Royce O'Neale	Josh Okogie
F	Kevin Durant	Ryan Dunn
C	Jusuf Nurkic	Mason Plumlee	Oso Ighodaro	Bol Bol (O)

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Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Preview

Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun dribbles the ball up court against Phoenix Suns guard Monte Morris at Ball Arena. Photo Credit: Imagn

The Phoenix Suns sit just outside of the play-in spots with a 14-13 record. Injuries have been a major concern , with Kevin Durant missing a chunk of games early in the season. The Suns are 4-6 in their last 10 and are 5-7 away from home.

The Denver Nuggets are fifth in the Western Conference with a 15-11 record. They have played well at Ball Arena, winning seven of 11 games.

Both the Suns and the Nuggets have suffered disappointing defeats over the last week, which will be concerning, considering high expectations. The Nuggets fell to the lowly Portland Trail Blazers (9-19) 126-124 on Thursday. Phoenix lost their second consecutive game on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons (12-17).

A high flying offense has been key for the Suns, who are averaging 114.3 ppg. Without Booker, the Suns will turn to Durant to put points on the board. When healthy, Durant remains one of the leagues's most potent scorers, averaging 27.4 ppg, ranking seventh in the NBA in the category.

Denver's offense ranks second in the West with 119.9 ppg, but its defense is conceding a whopping 117.3 ppg.

The Nuggets have relied heavily on three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the early favorite for another MVP crown. The Serbian superstar leads the Nuggets roster in points (31.0), rebounds (13.0), assists (9.8) and steals (1.8).