![]() For as much faith as Malone has in his team, he’s surely looking at the matchups in the backcourt as a major disadvantage. Paul dished a total of 46 assists in the first round with just nine turnovers, while Booker is coming off a playoff career-high 47 points in the closeout game against the Lakers. Paul has fought through a nagging right shoulder injury throughout the playoffs, but it hasn’t significantly hindered his ability to produce as a playmaker. Rookie Facundo Campazzo and Austin Rivers will take on the responsibility of guarding Paul and Booker, which isn’t an easy assignment for even the league’s best guards. This is where the absences of Murray and Barton hurt Denver the most. How Denver deals with Phoenix’s backcourt. ![]() It’s probably a more even matchup than you think.Ģ. So, while Jokic enters this matchup with Kia MVP pedigree, don’t sleep on Ayton. Offensively, Ayton’s ability as a screener and roller opens up things for Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Ayton is long and versatile, and capable of holding his own when switched onto guards. Jokic is probably most dangerous as a facilitator, but Ayton appears to be peaking as a defender at just the right time. The Suns come into this series with a defensive rating of 102.6, and they’re allowing an average of 44.7 points in the paint. But in this series, defense is where Ayton needs to make his mark guarding Jokic, who shot 56.6% from the field against Phoenix in the regular season for an average of 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. He averaged 22 points in the first three games of the opening round series, and 10 points in the last three games. Ayton gradually tapered off offensively in the opening round. That’s why I love that group because no matter who you call upon, they’re ready to go out there and simply do their job.”ġ. But if we don’t, what a great opportunity. I’m hoping that we can get a player or two back. We’re gonna need that same resolve moving forward. “So, what it says about our group is that we’re resilient, we’re mentally tough, we believe in ourselves and we believe in our teammates. ![]() Dozier, who is one of the first guys off the bench. “Jamal Murray’s been out for 24 games now and look what we’ve done without a guy that was one of the best players in the bubble last year. “You see all these other teams in the playoffs and a lot is made of guys being out with injuries,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. ![]() Dozier (adductor) and guard Will Barton (hamstring), who just might be on the verge of returning to the lineup. Denver could also start this series on Monday without P.J. Porter averaged 18.8 points in the opening round against the Portland Trail Blazers. will be counted upon to assume his production. Jokic averaged nearly a triple-double during the regular season against the Suns, but without Murray in the fold, Michael Porter Jr. 23, but back then the Nuggets could lean heavily on both Kia MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who was subsequently lost for the season back in April due to a torn left ACL. But if the regular-season series between these teams is any indication, we should expect a gritty, knockdown street fight between this pair of young, hungry teams looking to stake their claim in the wide-open Western Conference playoffs.ĭenver won the regular-season series between the teams 2-1, but keep in mind the average margin of victory in these games was just five points, with the Nuggets coming out on top in the last two meetings in January on consecutive days in overtime and double overtime.ĭevin Booker didn’t dress for Phoenix’s 120-112 loss in double overtime on Jan. We all know competition ticks up several notches in the postseason. Which team has the edge in the Suns-Nuggets series?
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