Denver nuggets Coach Mike Malone accused his team of not sending the defense into the desert after losing Game 3 and 4 first sun in Phoenix.
The Sun seemed to carry even lighter baggage for their trip to the mountains, leaving behind defenses, offenses, and supplies of extra poise.
It’s hard to know how much the Nuggets had to score for the 118-102 game as the Suns came out so unlucky, even though it was the all-important Game 5 of their seven-game series, where Denver currently leads, 3- 2. Name one stat hustling in the first 12 minutes and the Nuggets dominated it. Quick score, 17-8. Recovery attack, 6-1. Second chance score, 6-2, and the only reason the disparity wasn’t bigger is because the Nuggets missed multiple headers in the same possession.
“Playing with despair,” said the All-Star center Nikola Jokić. “That’s how we played in the first quarter.”
Jokic led the frenzy, scoring a triple-double in the 10th playoff of his career and edging past Wilt Chamberlain to claim the all-time record by a center, but it was Denver’s balancing attack itself. overwhelmed Phoenix. Michael Porter Jr.. responsible for the opening boom, scoring 14 of his 19 points this time around, mostly in the 3-second transitions because the Sun – specifically Booker – was slow to turn around and find see him. Jamal Murray, who had tried so hard to take over Phoenix, made a more subtle, more effective effort. Bruce Brown added 25 to the bench.
While the Suns sped up in the second quarter to cut their lead to three after halftime – and almost took the lead in midfield. Booker Devin it was a tick too late – the Nuggets simply stormed out of the dressing room for a second time, making it 21.
If there are two constants in the series no matter where the two teams meet, it is that Booker is a highly efficient scoring machine and the home team’s reserves have outplayed their opponents. Only one of those constants existed on Tuesday night.
Booker’s first less-than-stellar performance in the series (28 points at 42 percent shooting) also marked the first time he’d let his frustrations flare, which had held him back — and undermined him. Sun — in previous years. He wasn’t the one to commit one of the game’s three technical fouls, but he was clearly caught up in one-on-one battles with both Michael Porter Jr. and Bruce Brown.
“You have to keep your poise at an effective level,” says Suns coach Monty Williams. “I just felt we didn’t have the mental stamina needed to maintain our poise.”
The most surprising development was that the Nuggets didn’t focus on taking the ball out of Booker’s hands but rather selectively partnering with him or Kevin Durant and still keeping both relatively restrained, Durant needed 24 shots to score 26 points.
But here’s the official news: we’ve now entered the Chippy Zone of this series. Extracurricular activities start from the very first minute with Booker’s bloody scene Pope Kentavious Caldwell elbow lips. Murray and Embarrassed Landry had a few words to choose from, Murray made a technical foul to taunt at one point, and before net Teammates Brown and Durant received Ts clearing after the Nuggets tried to infiltrate an impromptu chat near the Suns bench.
The night had begun with a joy. Jokic, who was hit with a technical penalty and a $25,000 fine for shoving Suns owner Mat Isbhia into his side seat when he refused to give up the ball after it flew into the stands in the first half of Game 4, saw Ishbia sitting on the field as he finished his match. warm up before the game. Jokic hands him the ball he used to shoot, and the two quickly laugh and hug.
“I hope he pays me the fine,” Jokic later quipped.
Don’t look for anything interesting as the series continues on Thursday. In three games in Denver, the Nuggets have held the Suns by an average of 99 points – or 26 points less than the two games in Phoenix.
“It’s just psychology,” Jokic said. “We know the moves, the calls, the handshakes. It’s going to be a matter of who gets aggressive. I think that leads to that.”
Handshakes? It was one of the spy reports.
Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He has previously written for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, “Rebound,” about NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young-onset Parkinson’s disease, and “Yao: A Life In Two Worlds.” He also has a daily podcast, “On The Ball with Ric Bucher.” Follow him on Twitter @Ric Bucher.
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