The Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Crucial for this was Chris Paul, who played out all his experience in the last quarter.
Point God grabbed the reins in the last quarter and single-handedly dominated the nuggets. In the end he had 21 points (8/14 FG), 6 rebounds and 11 assists on the credit side.
In addition to CP3, Mikal Bridges (23, 8/12, 4/8 threesomes), Devin Booker (21, 8/12) and DeAndre Ayton (20, 9/13) also scored well and all with strong odds. Ayton grabbed an additional 10 rebounds and Booker played 8 assists.
In the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic was the best shooter with 22 points (10/23), but due to the good Suns defense he only got 3 assists and made 4 turns. He received support from Aaron Gordon (18, 8/14), Michael Porter Jr. (15, 6/13) and Facundo Campazzo (14, 5/9)
Suns and Nuggets start strong
Both teams started the game like the fire brigade and immediately gave the series an incredible speed. The Nuggets took an early lead after five quick points from Campazzo, on the other hand, the fans at Talking Stick Resort Arena were ready to explode early at any time.
Ayton didn’t let you ask for long and took care of one Poster dunk over Porter Jr. for the first highlight of the lot. A few minutes later, Crowder equalized with a difficult four-point play from the corner – with 28:28 it was also the first break.
And the spectacle from quarter one continued seamlessly. Ayton did a good job in defense of taking Jokic’s face-off points away (only 1 assist in the 1st half!), Which however mutated the Joker into a scorer and led his team after 24 minutes with 15 points (7/11). At the Suns it was Booker and Ayton who were the best scorers on their team with 11 points each. +1 from the nuggets point of view it was at halftime (58:57).
Chris Paul dominates the last quarter
Jokic was now increasingly a problem for the Suns. With two threesomes hit by the Serb, Ayton had no choice but to move further out and offer Jokic space for his move to the basket. He took advantage of that and got the first double-digit lead in the game. The Sun’s Answer? A 16-0 run! And suddenly Phoenix was back in front.
And then the hitherto calm Paul took over and showed his qualities as a game manager. The 36-year-old welded two of his dreaded mid-range jumpers through the trap and suddenly it was 10 minutes on the clock +15 from Suns’ point of view. From then on, CP3 just kept going and with jumpers and assists made sure that the nuggets never caught up.
Two minutes before the end and at -18 from Denver’s point of view, Michael Malone then sent his second unit onto the field.
The most important statistics
Phoenix Suns (2) vs. Denver Nuggets (3) 122:105 (BOXSCORE), Serie: 1-0
- The Suns laid the foundation for success on the defensive. They closed the zone and the pass paths well, were aggressive and pushed the ball after turnovers. They converted the 12 turnovers of the nuggets into a strong 18 points, as opposed to 12 for Denver (with 10 Suns turnovers).
- Closing the zone was reflected in the free throw yield of the nuggets. Denver only went to the Charity Stripe 6 times in the entire game and scored 5 times. The Suns had 17 hits out of 20 attempts.
- Otherwise, the Suns were offensively more effective in all areas. They played more assists (30 to 27) and scored better from the field (54.1 percent to 46.7 percent) and downtown (38.2 percent to 35 percent).
Phoenix Suns – Denver Nuggets: The Voices for the Game
Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns): “It was fun to go out and be a part of it. The last series was tough, but I’m glad I’m back and can help the team.”
Michael Malone (Head Coach Denver Nuggets): “We’ve done some good things, but we obviously haven’t been able to preserve this over 48 minutes. We have to be better, more physical and more disciplined as a collective if we are to win Game 2.”
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets): “If things don’t go the way we imagine, we have to act more decisively. As a group, we have to know what we’re doing.”
The star of the game: Chris Paul
The point guard held back for three quarters, but in the last section it struck its big hour. With his class and clarity, he was omnipresent in the most important phase of the game, stealing balls, giving assists and hitting all the important throws. 14 points (6/6) and 3 assists in the last quarter are outstanding values.
The flop of the game: Monte Morris
Without Jamal Murray, Morris is a staple in the guard rotation of the nuggets that rely on his scoring. That evening, however, was a single catastrophe, 1/10 from the field and 0/4 from downtown with a plus-minus of -28 do not have to be carried out any further.
The scene of the game
When the game went into the crucial phase, Chris Paul grabbed the Spalding and pushed the nuggets two buttery soft jumpers from the middle distance into the basket. That was the end of the nuggets in this game – mentally as well as athletically.
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