Regardless of who Phoenix plays, it will be a difficult test for them. They will face off against the winner of the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers series. The Suns will get some much-needed rest before the start of the Western Conference Finals. He averaged 25 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game this series. On the other side, Jokic was by far Denver’s best performer. The other Suns starters in Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, and Jae Crowder also had some nice contributions in this series. He averaged 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per contest. Paul averaged 25.5 points, five rebounds, 10.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game this series. Phoenix had a lot of players who stepped up in this series, but Paul was by far their best player in these four games. Let’s look at the matchup and see what each team needs to do to win this series. This will be the first time that these two teams have met in the playoffs in 32 years. It’s also safe to say that he looks rejuvenated after suffering a shoulder injury in the first round of the playoffs. The Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets will now face off after taking down their first-round opponents in six games. We are seeing Paul play some of his best basketball in his career right now, it’s a spectacle to behold. He shot 62.7 percent from the field and had 41 assists on only five turnovers. In this series, Paul’s efficiency was off the charts. The Nuggets played their best game in Game 4 but in the end, Paul and Booker were too much for them to overcome. The Jokic ejection after a flagrant two foul late in the third quarter lit a fire under the Nuggets in this game, but Paul’s calming presence for the Suns was what kept the Nuggets at bay. Paul led the way in this game with 37 points on 14 for 19 shooting and added seven assists as well as two steals. He has gotten to his spots at will in this series. Paul was slicing the Nuggets defense with his playmaking and in the pick-and-roll game. This was a big reason as to why the Suns offense was clicking on all cylinders in this entire series. Chris Paul Picking the Nuggets Defense Apart That’s when they played their worst basketball after keeping it close early on. The biggest takeaway was that the Nuggets lost these three games in the third quarter. Monte Morrisfinally had it going scoring 21 in a losing effort. The Suns had all five starters in double figures led by Devin Booker who scored 28 in their Game 3 victory. Despite Jokic’s 32 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists, the Nuggets just didn’t have enough offensively.

Game 3 featured another poor shooting game from the Nuggets.

Jokic was the main source of the Nuggets offense in this game while the Suns got a very balanced attack from their stars and role players. Denver fell apart in the third quarter yet again on both ends of the floor. The Suns, on the other hand, went wild and scored 71 points in the second half. They struggled offensively and only put up 98 points. Jokic needs to take a stronger command of the offense moving forward in this series.Game 2 was also more the same for the Nuggets. Ayton was effective for the Suns with a double-double in points and rebounds. The Nuggets’ offense suffered as a result. On Monday night, Jokic fell short of his playoff scoring average and was limited as a distributor. Presumptive MVP Nikola Jokic gave credit to Suns’ center Deandre Ayton this week, saying the youngster gave him trouble defensively in three prior regular-season matchups this year. Craig is becoming a key bench piece in Phoenix.ģ. He connected on two shots from deep and had a thunderous dunk. Craig blocked a Monte Morris layup attempt to force a shot clock violation on his first defensive possession. But all that went away when Craig came off the Phoenix bench late in the first quarter. Suns wing Torrey Craig played three seasons in Denver (2017-20) and he showed love to old friends with smiles and hugs. Nuggets players reserved a few minutes before tip to embrace a teammate turned opponent. It appears Paul’s shoulder issues are behind him. The Nuggets never got their momentum back. Paul opened the final quarter with four consecutive made baskets - punctuated by a deep triple that put Phoenix up by 16 points. The Nuggets did well to limit the scoring efficiency of Suns point guard Chris Paul over the first three quarters of Game 1 as he deals with lingering shoulder soreness. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menuġ.

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