Nuggets try to make Suns look average again

The Phoenix Suns’ star quartet of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton looked mighty average in their Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Now it’s gut check time when the Suns try to even the series in Game 2 on Monday in Denver.

There’s certainly reason to believe the Suns have what it takes to bounce back. Phoenix lost Game 1 to the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round before reeling off four straight wins to advance.

“This group has been here already so we understand what it takes to emotionally settle down,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “Understand it’s a big game coming up. And our guys have played a number of big games.”

The biggest problem for Phoenix? This Denver team appears vastly superior to the Clippers team the Suns eliminated in round one.

Jamal Murray scored a game-high 34 points and Nikola Jokic added 24 points and 19 rebounds in the Nuggets’ 125-107 Game 1 victory on Saturday. It was a thoroughly dominant win for Denver, which broke the game open in the second quarter and never looked back.

Denver had a 49-38 advantage in rebounding, including 16-8 on the offensive glass. The Suns turned the ball over 16 times while the Nuggets only had nine.

“The difference is in possessions, turnovers, and offensive rebounds,” Williams said. “They just destroyed us tonight. We have to regroup and do a much better job at playing with pace on offense. I thought we slowed down tonight for whatever reason.”

The Suns made it to the NBA Finals in 2021, sweeping the Nuggets in the second round along the way. But Murray missed that series with an injury and now that he’s returned, the balance of power might have shifted.

Murray shot 13 of 24 from the field, including 6 of 10 on 3-pointers in Game 1.

“When Jamal Murray is fully healthy, locked, and loaded, we know what he is capable of and it is just so fun to watch him perform at the level he’s performing at,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.