Can The Nuggets Do Anything To Beat The Suns? 6.9.21
It’s a Wednesday night of the NBA playoffs and we have just one game tonight, Game 2 between Denver and Phoenix.
(3) Denver Nuggets vs (2) Phoenix Suns
Denver Nuggets (0-2)
What the heck was that? What was that? You’re leader won MVP after you guys got whopped. Maybe some urgency? Better play? None of the above? Ok that’s cool too, I guess. The game was somehow somewhat close in the first half, but it shouldn’t have been.
Jokic picked up some early fouls on Ayton which was good and he had 15 points in the first half. But he simply didn’t get help. The Nuggets shot 49 shots in the first half. Here’s their shot breakdown:
Of their 49 shots, 45% of them (22) were 3’s. Do you know how many 3’s they made on 22 attempts. 4. 4/22 from 3 (18%). So nearly half of their shots were from 3 and they weren’t making any of them. The offense is struggling against an actual defense.
In the first half, MPJ, Gordon, Campazzo, and Monte Morris combined to shoot 5/26 from the field. MPJ’s back is clearly bothering him, he has been awful so far. Campazzo cannot hit anything outside and Monte Morris has also been awful in this series.
The 2nd half was a formality where the Suns simply (rightfully) dominated. The Nuggets offense is really missing Murray as they don’t have firepower. We knew the defense would be a problem but their offense has just been shut down because of lack of shot making. Jokic can only do so much with this roster.
I really can’t tell you how Denver gets better. They shot 14/43 from 3, which is just terrible. They’re not forcing turnovers (only 7 for the Suns), they got outscored in the paint, on the fastbreak, and the benches were basically even.
The only thing I can think of for the offense is changing the starting lineup. Rivers and Campazzo shot 3/12 in this game. Maybe it’s Barton and Morris. Barton had 10 off the bench after not playing for over a month and was easily their 2nd best player and even though he’s been a combined 2/17 this series, I like Morris over Campazzo.
The defense can’t get better, we knew that going into this series the Suns would attack Jokic, and they have. I just don’t see how Denver wins this series unless they shoot like they did against Portland, which will be hard because the Suns have been the best defense in the playoffs so far.
Interesting to see what changes in Game 3, if anything. Denver is just in a box right now and they are running out of time to save their season.
Phoenix Suns (2-0)
The Suns have been very good in this series as they just haven’t given the Nuggets any leeway to make this series close. The offense has been very good and we knew that coming in, Denver’s defense is far from good.
The Suns get whatever they want with ease, getting to the rim, in transition, Booker and Paul dominating the mid-range, anything they want. All 5 starters in double-figures again and 6 guys overall. The Suns shot 48% from the field and 47% from 3, they got to the line, didn’t turn the ball over, scored in the paint, the bench was good. Everything is rolling.
18 points and 10 boards for Booker, 17 points and 15 assists and no turnovers for the POINT GAWD (capitalization is needed), Bridges with 16, Crowder had 11, double-double for Ayton who has done as good a job of guarding Jokic than anybody we’ve seen this season.
The defense though has been where Phoenix has been great. They are the #1 defense in the playoffs as they smother teams and make them make tough shots. They let Denver shoot all the 3’s they wanted because none of them were going in (14/43). Bridges and Crowder have taken MPJ out of this series. The Suns have eliminated Morris, Campazzo, and Rivers. Ayton is slowing down Jokic better than anybody we’ve seen, it’s been a masterclass in execution.
The Suns just have the talent advantage and unlike Portland, they know how to use it. They can score at will with their shooting and elite backcourt and strong bench and they have figured out how to slow down Denver. It’s hard to imagine them losing a game with how the first two games have been in this series, they might lose one, but I can’t imagine this goes further than 5 games barring anything unforeseen.
What Are Your Thoughts From The Game Tonight? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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