Faced with the Suns without Chris Paul and without Deandre Ayton, the Nuggets gave no quarter. While 10 points from Cameron Payne put Phoenix ahead (24-21), the Nikola Jokic – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope duo led 25-2 in the final five minutes of the first quarter to take a 20-point lead ( 46-26)!
With Denver’s defense focused on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, there was nothing the two stars could do. Jamal Murray, with 15 points in the second quarter, took over to put the Nuggets at +30 at the break (81-51)!
Mike Malone’s men therefore validate their ticket to the conference final. They will play the winner of the Lakers–Warriors series.
They had met LeBron James and Anthony Davis at this stage of the playoffs in the Orlando bubble in 2020.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Monty Williams is all about attack. With Deandre Ayton having to join Chris Paul in the infirmary for this decisive Game 6 for the Suns, Williams decided to try everything by inserting the shooter Landry Shamet in the starting lineup in place of Josh Okogie, while Jock Landale logically took Ayton’s place. Throughout the game, Monty Williams tried to find a solution to his lack of bench depth, but the Suns could not do anything against the Nuggets determined not to pass up their golden chance to reach the final of conference.
— Nikola Jokic and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope put the Nuggets into orbit. 14 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds for the double MVP and 17 points for the back of Denver… in the first quarter! Both players relentlessly attacked Phoenix’s disorganized defense to score 10 of their 12 attempts inside the key and put their team past a devastating 25-2 to their opponent. In their wake, the Nuggets achieved an almost perfect first, finishing with 81 points at 62% on shots, while only losing 2 balls to return to the locker room at +30!
— The Suns receive their annual slap. A year ago, almost to the day (May 15, 2022), the Suns were trailing by 30 points at home in Game 7 of the second round against the Mavs (57-27). Tonight, history repeated itself. With a Kevin Durant at 2/11 on shots, and a Devin Booker at 4/12, the Suns returned to the locker room at -30 as well (81-51). Of course, the circumstances are quite different. With the absences of Paul and Ayton, the defense of Denver sent two, three, even four players towards the two stars. Only Cam Payne knew how to take advantage of it. Phoenix now looks to next season and building a roster that can support Durant and Booker. What about Chris Paul? What about Deandre Ayton? With an aggressive owner, nothing is to be ruled out.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Nikola Jokic. Facing poor Jock Landale and Bismack Biyombo, the double MVP wreaked havoc, finishing with another triple double (32 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists), his third in the series and his fifth in the playoffs.
✅ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The fullback scored 17 of his 21 points in the first quarter, while making life difficult for Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
✅ Jamal Murray. The point guard scored 15 of his 26 points in the second quarter to extinguish any hopes for Phoenix fans. He also added 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.
✅ Cam Payne. Only Sun survived in the first half, the leader scored 19 of his 31 points there but could not cope with the Nuggets festival.
⛔ Devin Booker – Kevin Durant. Clumsy in Game 5, both players ran out of juice against
the Denver defense. Devin Booker finished with 12 points at 4/13 on shots, while Kevin Durant, after starting at 2/11 on shots, still scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half to finish at 8/19 .
THE FOLLOWING
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in Denver overnight Tuesday through Wednesday (2:30 a.m.).
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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.
