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Nuggets sent a strong message to the Suns in game 1

news7g04/30/2023

2 4 minutes read

Nuggets sent a strong message to the Suns in game 1

Buchou Ric

FOX Sports NBA Analyst

Game on the name.

That’s the statement of Denver nuggets performed on Saturday, overtaking the lower seeded but higher rated team phoenix sun, 125-107, to take a 1-0 lead in the second series.

The Suns roll into the Ball Arena with the top scoring duo of the playoffs in Kevin Durant And Booker Devinone of the reasons bettors backed them to win the Western Conference title, despite the Nuggets having the best season record and consecutive MVP in Nikola Jokić (24 points, 19 rebounds).

The number 1 question in the series, however, is not how will the Sun stop Jokic, but how will the Nuggets stop KD and Booker?

Nuggets’ answer: We don’t have to.

Durant has 29 points when shooting 63%. Booker has 27 points out of 52%. Rarely does 56 points be so effectively scored as insignificant. Using balanced scoring, timely doubles, a deeper bench and a substantial 3-point advantage, the Nuggets took a 17-point lead after halftime and never let it drop. under double digits throughout the second half.

“I told our boys, all the pressure is on them,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said of the Suns being favored to win the series. “Nobody picked us to win, so go out there and enjoy it.”

No one plays bigger or likes it more than 6 foot-3 Jamal Murraywho exudes the unbridled exuberance of someone who has watched his team play for the last two seasons without him due to injury.

“Jamal just continues to add to Playoff legend Jamal Murray,” said Nuggets coach Mike Malone. “He’s a bad guy. He lives for this. When he’s locked and loaded, we know what he can do.”

The last time we saw Murray was during the COVID-induced Orlando bubble, where he helped the Nuggets reach the Western Conference finals as top scorer, assists and three-shots. point.

He reprized that role in Game 1 with the Suns. His 34 points lead all scorers, his 9 assists lead all players and his 6-10 shot from long range leads them all. players score 3 points. “I’m just living my dream here,” he said. “I missed two playoffs. I missed this kind of game. It’s good to be back.”

Coach Mike Malone also deserves some credit. There’s a popular video of Booker at a summer run getting upset about being paired. Well, the Nuggets decided to see if he still felt the same way, disappointing him for most of the first quarter. Booker doesn’t complain, but it makes him a lot more passive than he was when he last met his opponent in the first round of Phoenix, Clippers Los Angeles. After forcing a switch that pits him against Michael Porter Jr.., Booker drove for a tumble that Porter beat but was called in to score. However, Booker would only take one more shot in the next seven minutes, content to let Durant take the charge to score with 15 points in the first quarter.

While the Suns have plenty of room for improvement, especially with ball care after making 16 spins – 14 of which were stolen by the Nuggets and half of which were taken by Durant – there are some built-in advantages that hard to imagine Suns passing . Start with the big difference in three-point shooting. The Nuggets overtook them 48-21 from outside the arc, and that made no difference based on how the two teams approached their first-round opponent. The Suns averaged just 23 make a game against the Clippers compared to the Nuggets’ 32 against the Timberwolves. Durant and Booker combined for a 1-4 from long range on Saturday.

The bigger challenge will be overcoming the bench disparity. Thanks to extended injury time, the final score of the box didn’t reflect the impact of the two teams coming on as substitutes, but Denver’s first-half boom was fueled somewhat, with a total of seven points and eight bounces from Bruce Lee, Blue Jeff And Christian Braun.

Even more important is the speed at which the Nuggets have played and intend to continue. They had 17 quick break points and knew full well that Durant and Booker were leading 1-2 in the playoffs and Chris Paul not far behind. If the Suns are going to compete in this series, their Big Three will have to move forward — and step faster — in both directions.

“It’s been a highlight of the season,” Malone said. “So no matter who we play against, it’s us. But then you talk about their team and the minutes those guys are playing, we want to go out, run and attack. That’s when We’re at our best.”

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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