The Suns Took Over In The Second Half To Run Away With Game 1 Against Denver

After a Game 2 in Brooklyn that was downright depressing to watch for just about everyone who isn’t a Nets fan, the hopes of Monday night’s NBA slate rested on the shoulders of the Suns and Nuggets to deliver in Game 1. Thankfully, the first half did more than that as Denver took. 58-57 lead into the break as both teams played some of the best basketball you could hope to see.

Nikola Jokic was terrific with 15 points as he dueled with Deandre Ayton, who had 11 in the first half himself. Facu Campazzo was everywhere for Denver and Aaron Gordon provided them with a much needed lift on both ends.

For Phoenix, it was a complete effort to hang around and fight back after every Denver run. Ayton was excellent in going back at Jokic on the offensive end, while Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges each had strong halves to keep the Suns within one at the break.

The Nuggets opened the third quarter on a big run to open up a lead of as many as 10 and held a 72-63 advantage with just under eight minutes to play.

However, things changed quickly from there, as the Suns ripped off a 16-0 run in just under four minutes of play, spearheaded by Mikal Bridges and capped off by Devin Booker.

Phoenix took a nine-point lead into the fourth, and it was more of the same to start the final period as they extended their lead quickly to 15 as Chris Paul led the Suns bench unit on a massive extended run.

The Suns refused to let up, as the bench unit put a punctuation mark on their efforts with this transition lob to Torrey Craig that blew the roof off of Phoenix Suns Arena.

Denver would finally get some things going offensively midway through the fourth, but by that point the damage was done and Phoenix cruised to a 122-105 win. Jokic cooled off in the second half, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals on 10-of-23 shooting, and there was a case to be made that the best player for all 48 minutes for the Nuggets was Aaron Gordon with 18 points, four rebounds, three steals, and two assists on 8-of-14 shooting. However, no one else could match his energy in the second half for Denver as they got steamrolled after their strong third quarter start. Jokic was a shade off on seemingly every shot, Michael Porter Jr (15 points) got nullified by getting attacked constantly by the Suns on the defensive end, and Austin Rivers and Monte Morris could only muster a combined nine points on 3-of-17 shooting.

Those backcourt struggles against a Suns team with such tremendous depth in that area figures to be the story of the series, and in Game 1 Phoenix overwhelmed Denver with their depth. Booker wasn’t dominant in the same way he was in Game 6 against the Lakers, as he had just 21 points, but he was in control of everything, scoring those points on 8-of-12 shooting and ran the offense beautifully with eight assists. Chris Paul was a bit quiet early but came alive in the second half to finish with 21 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds, while Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-13 shooting. Mikal Bridges was the breakout star for Phoenix, scoring 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting including a 4-of-8 night from deep, with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.

The difference for the Suns was their ability to keep up their efficiency. Their four stars combined to go 33-of-49 from the field in an outrageous shooting night, while the Nuggets just couldn’t keep up with that onslaught. It was a tremendous performance as Phoenix continues to show poise and ability beyond its years — Chris Paul aside — as their young stars step up in big moments and as a team they pounce on every opportunity to pull away from an opponent. That relentless effort is what got them to the second round and in Game 1, it got them a come from behind win to take a 1-0 series lead.