Paul impresses in Suns’ rout
Guard has 17 points and 15 assists as balanced Phoenix takes a 2-0 series lead.
PHOENIX — Chris Paul had 17 points and 15 assists without a turnover, Devin Booker added 18 points and 10 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns routed the Denver Nuggets 123-98 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Deandre Ayton had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges added 16 points for the balanced Suns. Paul was particularly impressive and it appears his ailing right shoulder — which greatly limited his play against the Lakers in the first round — isn’t much of a problem anymore. He had 21 points and 11 assists in Game 1.
Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 13 rebounds for Denver, a day after getting the NBA’s most-valuableplayer award. But the Nuggets couldn’t find anyone else to score consistently, leaving them reeling going back to Denver for Game 3 on Friday night.
The Suns had a 10-point halftime lead Wednesday and Jae Crowder added a pair of three-pointers early in the third to make it 60-43. Phoenix took an 86-67 advantage into the fourth. The Suns led by 31 in the final quarter.
Crowder had another good night as the Suns’ longrange shooter and enforcer. He and Denver’s Aaron Gordon were each called for a technical foul after they exchanged words and shoves midway through the third. On the next possession, Crowder coaxed Gordon into committing an offensive foul, much to the delight of the 16,529 at Phoenix Suns Arena.
Paul pushed the sellout crowd into a frenzy in the fourth, throwing his 15th assist to Torrey Craig after crisscrossing around helpless Denver forward Paul Millsap. The guard then hit a pair of three-pointers and the celebration was on in the desert with the Suns rolling in their first playoff appearance in 11 seasons.
Phoenix took a 52-42 halftime lead after a sloppy first half in which both teams struggled on offense. Denver was shaky with its longrange shooting, making just one of 13 three-point attempts in the first quarter.