The first round is not yet over in the West as the conference semifinals begin, with the one between the nuggets and the Suns. Two teams that only needed five innings to eliminate the Wolves and Clippers in the previous round, and who are each carried by a fiery tandem.
Precisely, the duel between the pair Jamal Murray (34 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds) — Nikola Jokic (24 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists) and the pair Kevin Durant (29 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks) — Devin Booker (27 points, 8 assists) generally kept its promises last night and, on arrival, it was the Murray / Jokic duo who left with the victory (125-107), to lead 1-0 in this series which risks good to constantly treat us on the offensive level.
Collectively attractive and superior to their evening visitors, the players of denver controlled this Game 1 from start to finish and proved they had the hardware to hurt —and more— phoenix. For those who could doubt it, here is a good reminder: the leaders of the Western Conference did not arrive there by chance!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Jamal Murray’s ‘playoff mode’ is real. Already brilliant in the first round against the Wolves, the Canadian did not fail to put the cover in this much more challenging conference semi-final. Sacredly inspired on the offensive level, just to compensate for the difficulties in shooting Nikola Jokic, he taught his defenders a lesson without too much problem, both in scoring and creation. A very high class performance from the energetic leader of Denver, untenable and which demonstrates once again that the more adversity increases, the more his level of play adjusts accordingly. Looking forward to more…
— Denver exploited Phoenix’s loopholes. Between their 16 offensive rebounds captured, which generated a lot of additional ammunition, their 18 points scored after the Suns lost balls, or their 3-point domination (16 baskets to 7), the teammates of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray or even Aaron Gordon did not fail to press where they had an ascendancy to gradually crack their opponents. Impeccable collectively and carried by a boiling public, Mike Malone’s men impressed from the start and showed seriousness, on each side, to accelerate as soon as possible and necessary.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Aaron Gordon. There was obviously Jamal Murray to guide Denver in this Game 1, but how can we not mention Gordon’s contribution in this part either? Author of 23 points and 6 rebounds, without missing much in the shoot (9/13, including 3/4 from 3-pointers), the strong winger perfectly fulfilled his role in attack, taking what the defense gave him. gave aggressively, in addition to not sparing himself defensively to hinder Kevin Durant in particular. A perfect match, or almost, from “AG”, such the X factor that it must be for the Nuggets in this series alongside Nikola Jokic in the racket.
✅ Kevin Durant & Devin Booker. Between the 29 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks of one (despite 7 lost balls…) or the 27 points and 8 assists of the other, we can say that the Suns were able to turn to their major duo to try to leave Colorado with the victory. Except that even a good match of “KD” and “D-Book” was not enough to disrupt these Nuggets, in a great evening in attack and collectively, in addition to showing great defensive skills to leave the Durant / Booker cardboard in the void. It is now up to the Suns to respond and adjust, in view of Game 2.
⛔ Phoenix rotations. We could express some fears concerning the contribution of the bench of the Suns and, from Game 1, these were confirmed. While the Bruce Brown – Christian Braun – Jeff Green trio brought exactly what the Nuggets needed in energy and intensity, especially during the minutes without Nikola Jokic, Torrey Craig, Landry Shamet, Damion Lee or other Jock Landale have not shown themselves up to the task and Monty Williams will have to find solutions to avoid pulling too hard on the bodies of its incumbents. Especially since opposite, the collective of Denver seems perfectly oiled.
THE FOLLOWING
Game 2 in Denver, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday (04:00).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
