Payne may take Paul’s minutes, but Devin Booker will likely take over the bulk of the playmaking duties. Payne also made 2.3 3-pointers per game on 5.8 attempts, so he could actually add some shooting without detracting a ton overall considering how little Paul has been contributing to Suns’ scoring lately. That assist number effectively matches Paul in the playoffs thus far. Payne was in and out of the lineup with injuries this year but did start 14 straight games in November and December when Paul was out, averaging 15.1 points and 7.3 assists per game in 31.5 minutes. They’ll be without Chris Paul, which has a knock-on effect for a roster already short on options. Like Denver, the Suns play much better at home, and Phoenix is playing for its season down 0-2. The question now is whether their performance will hold up on the road, where Denver was much worse this season.
They are beating Phoenix not with great defense, but with superior offense. The Nuggets are the clear favorite now in this series. The Suns mostly evened out those ratios in Game 2 and actually ended up taking 19 more shots than Denver, but they also got to the line 16 fewer times, a shocking development. The Nuggets attempted 17 more shots, including 14 more 3-pointers, 11 more rebounds, and seven fewer turnovers than Phoenix. The starting five has been excellent, with Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope fitting perfectly as role players and Bruce Brown starring off the bench.ĭenver dominated the math in Game 1. 1 seed, and they’re the favorites to win the West. The Nuggets have looked every bit the part as a No.
That was in stark contrast to Game 1, where Murray led the charge with 34 points, nine assists, and six 3s while MPJ had a big second quarter stretch and Jokic was his usual self at 24/19/5. in that one and a total no show from Jamal Murray, who went 3-of-15 from the field and 0-of-9 on 3s. The night before the MVP announcement, Jokic had a monster game with 39 points and 16 rebounds, recording at least 39% of his team’s output in each area in what was a surprisingly slow, defensive grind.ĭenver got just five points from Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets have dominated the series, but it was the Nikola Jokic show in Game 2.
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