Don’t let the Phoenix Suns fool you. They have not flipped the proverbial switch and magically addressed their chemistry and dysfunction.
As the great philosopher Bill Parcells once said, “You are what your record says you are.”
And the Suns are an abysmal 8-23-1 against the spread (ATS) following a win. They have won and covered consecutive games so they actually broke this trend in their last game. In fact, they have mostly dominated their past two opponents.
But I refuse to accept anything has truly changed.
This team still has major fundamental issues, although I do respect the organization and coach Mike Budenholzer for attempting to find the cure.
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suns | +8.5 (-110) | +270 | Over 234 (-105) |
| Cavaliers | -8.5 (-110) | -320 | Under 234 (-115) |
Throughout the season, they benched starting center Jusuf Nurkic before ultimately trading him, repeatedly tried to trade an overrated Bradley Beal, and recently started benchwarmer Collin Gillespie to inject energy and competency.
However, in many ways, this is just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The team ranks fourth worst in defensive efficiency and 36-year-old Kevin Durant can no longer carry a team.
That is why they have grossly underachieved and are currently tied for the Western Conference’s 10th seed.
They next host a Cleveland Cavaliers squad on Friday that has lost three straight games.
I am going to back Cleveland to get back on track and cover as a 7-point road favorite.
This matchup sets up for the Eastern Conference’s top seed to bring effort and focus against a team that has a track record of lacking the necessary motivation.
I have a 35-18 ATS record in this Post sports section and plan to channel another NFL philosopher, Denny Green, who once said, “They are who we thought they were,” following another disappointing Suns performance.
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Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who currently serves as the Chief Content Officer for Only Players, a sports betting media company. Doug has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.