Although their defense showed signs of weakness, Bruce Brown and the Nuggets had not missed the two meetings in Phoenix. They looked eye to eye as the Suns relied on a top Devin Booker-Kevin Durant duo to win both games and tie the game.
It was therefore necessary to prepare an answer for this Game 5 at home and, for this, Michael Malone gave the floor to his players, to collect their feelings in this series. This discussion took place during the video footage.
“It’s essential to have a staff that wants to listen to us”says Aaron Gordon for The Athletic. “It shows that the staff have no ego and that is very important. »
Nevertheless, the Nuggets expected more from certain players, especially those around Nikola Jokic, who had been huge in Phoenix with 30 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists in Game 3 and then 53 points in Game 4. And who was still impeccable in this Game 5 with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.
It needed a spark like Landy Shamet in Game 4 or like the one seen in Los Angeles during the fourth round against the Warriors. “We were talking about the fact that we needed someone who would raise his level like Lonnie Walker IV did for the Lakers”explains the Nuggets coach, still for The Athletic.
His best game in the playoffs
The Lakers guard was the surprise of the last quarter against the defending champions, with 15 points at the best of times. And this reference was perfect for Bruce Brown, teammate of the former San Antonio fullback at the University of Miami in 2017/2018. The two players were also drafted the same year, in 2018.
“Lonnie is my guy and he played a great game”comments Bruce Brown. “I support him. I had to have a good match because I missed the previous one with only five points. I hadn’t been aggressive enough. »
The former Detroit and Brooklyn player notably weighed in the second half, largely dominated by the Nuggets, to finish with 25 points (his career high in the playoffs), 5 rebounds and 10 free throws attempted. He especially shone at the start of the last quarter, being at the origin or at the conclusion of the first nine points of Denver. Bruce Brown thus scored 10 points in this last act to validate the success of his team.
“He was excellent. He was in attack mode, he was in the circle. It is in these moments that Bruce Brown is at his best. His productivity, his sense of aggression, his toughness were necessary,” launches Mike Malone. “Brown, when he is aggressive, when he goes to the basket, when he puts on his floaters, he is a hell of a player”, Jamal Murray compliments him. “If we stayed sharp throughout the game, it’s largely thanks to him. »
| Bruce Brown, Jr. | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2018-19 | TED | 74 | 20 | 39.8 | 25.8 | 75.0 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 4.3 |
| 2019-20 | TED | 58 | 28 | 44.3 | 34.4 | 73.9 | 1.1 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 8.9 |
| 2020-21 | BRK | 65 | 22 | 55.6 | 28.8 | 73.5 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 8.8 |
| 2021-22 | BRK | 72 | 25 | 50.6 | 40.4 | 75.8 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 9.0 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 80 | 29 | 48.3 | 35.8 | 75.8 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 11.5 |
| Total | 349 | 25 | 48.2 | 34.1 | 74.9 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 8.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
