Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets 2nd round Series Preview. Who will punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals in this dynamic match up.
Who wants it more? Suns or Nuggets?
The Number one seeded Nuggets got it done early from a gentlemen’s sweep against the young Timberwolves. Nikola Jokic sent them home packing off of a 28 point triple double. Jamal Murray also dropped 35 points in this series clinching game. The 4th seeded suns were given a more challenging series by taking on the Clippers. The Clippers came into this match up 1 star short and finished with two stars short after Kawhi Leonard suffered a torn meniscus. Devin Booker scored a high of 47 points in the closing game of this series, while K.D scored 31 points.
Its safe to say that contributions of these magnitude will be need from all 4 stars in this dynamic matchup. The Nuggets were swept in the last playoff series between these teams. The stakes are just as high but the dynamics are vastly different. Jokic is still averaging triple doubles but this time around he has his co star in Jamal Murray. Murray has proven his post season excellence from his time in the bubble during the 2020 series. Chris Paul’s odometer has also risen as we seen from last years collapse against the Mavericks in the Western semis. Who knows what will become of him in his 37 year old season. Cameron Paynes back better not be sore.
What will make the difference here will be the contributions from players surrounding the stars. In the 2021 series Jokic dominated against Deandre Ayton. How effective will Ayton be in slowing Jokic down from scoring and getting his teammates involved. The offensive output from Ayton is another crucial factor where we need to see production from other players. Durant and Booker lead the playoffs as #1 and #2 in minutes per game, and we wont see that placement move this year. Every starter plays big minutes in the playoffs at a clip of 39 or more. We need to see quality minutes from K.D and Booker if they are to win this series. The Nuggets will do all they can to take advantage of the lesser lineups with I’m not even sure who is playing. Fatigue can kick in where we’ll see guys such as Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. get an edge.
