By Jordan Long
Last night, the Denver Nuggets faced the Phoenix Suns in game 1 of the 2nd-round. The Nuggets are looking to go back to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the L.A. Lakers in 5 games last year. The Suns haven’t been that far since 2010 when they were knocked off by the L.A. Lakers in 6 games.
Game 1 is a tone-setter for the series, but it’s not a huge game. Sure it tells who is up 1-0 but that is it. Of course, the Phoenix Suns with home court advantage needed to hold serve at home. Phoenix came out with energy due to their home crowd. Denver took control of the game in the 1st half, leading as much as 7 points with 9:56 left in the second quarter. At that point the score stood 38-31. The Suns though outscored Denver 26 to 20 to end the half.
In the second half, the defense for the Suns showed up. The Nuggets were having a difficult time shooting the basketball at 40%. The Suns let the Nuggets shoot 3’s but they couldn’t make them. Denver shot 7 of 19 in the second half or 36.8%. The pressure of the Suns’ defense gave Denver fits all night. Those ended in 11 turnovers, 5 of them coming in the second half.
The Suns found their scoring touch in the 2nd half, shooting an impressive 64.1%. Phoenix ran the offense and shooters were able to cut to the basket for easy dunks or layups. This was set up by ball movement.
The Suns outscored Denver 65 to 47 in the second half. The Suns limited Denver to 21 points in the third quarter and 26 points in the 4th quarter. Phoenix ended with 31 points in the 3rd and 34 points in the 4th. That was the difference.
Scoring wise, the Suns’ starters didn’t have anybody whose stats jump out since they were able to get everybody involved. The Suns’ leading scorers were Chris Paul and Devon Booker who both had 21 points. Paul ended up with 11 assists while Booker had 8. Center Deandre Ayton chipped in with a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Mikal Bridges totaled 23 points while Jae Crowder had 14.
For Denver, it was a tough night shooting all around. Nikola Jokic was able to score his points with 22. The Suns’ defense didn’t allow Jokic to pass the ball to find a wide open teammate. He ended up with only 3 assists. Aaron Gordon, who might be the Nuggets’ top defender, had 4 rebounds and 3 steals to go with 18 points. Michal Porter Jr. ended up with 15 points while Facundo Campazzo added 14 points. Austin Rivers had a quiet night with 7 points.
The Suns looked like they wanted it more in the 2nd half and took it to the Denver Nuggets. Denver didn’t respond that well. Game 1 went to the Suns 122-105. Looking at game 2 which is tomorrow, the Suns don’t need to change anything. They showed why they are the #2 seed in the Western Conference. They were able to score, rebound, and cause turnovers. Denver didn’t have a response after going up as many as 7 points early in the game.
Denver must make adjustments. They allowed the Suns to set the pace in the game, especially in the second half. The Suns let them shoot as many 3’s as they wanted and they missed. They can’t do that in game 2. They need to work the ball in which would equal higher percentage shots for them. Maybe even drive to the bucket. Those could be 3 point opportunities.
Game 2 is tomorrow night. If the Suns win the game, they did what they were supposed to and that is to defend the homecourt. Tomorrow night is still not a must win for the Nuggets but they would like to go back home tied at 1. Game 2 is set to tip-off at 7:30 Mountain Time.
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