It took too much to cover Murray, Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. When the Nuggets had Jamal Murray and a fully healthy Will Barton, defenses couldn't track Gordon off of the ball because they didn't have the resources to do so. It's simply a symptom of Denver's health issues. But in Game 2 of this series he was held to just six points, and Friday night, he shot 2-of-10 from the field. The Nuggets asked so little of Gordon offensively that all he had to was make properly timed cuts and he'd get easy basket after easy basket. The move looked great when Denver was at full strength. Another poor night for Aaron Gordonĭenver paid handsomely to acquire Aaron Gordon at the deadline, giving up not only a first-round pick, but promising young prospect R.J. They identified a weakness and exploited it knowing that Denver's roster offered no viable alternative, and the result was a win and a 3-0 series lead. That's what it takes to win late-stage playoff games. They have no shame whatsoever in spamming the exact same play because they knew the opposing defense can't stop it. It's a testament to Paul's greatness, yes, but it's also admirable brutality on Phoenix's part. They had no better choice than hoping that Paul, one of the greatest mid-range shooters in NBA history, would just miss his shots. Jokic isn't quick enough to play at the level of the screen with such poor defensive talent around him, so Denver played drop coverage against Paul for most of the night. Phoenix ran this play over and over and over again down the stretch because Denver has no answer for it whatsoever. Even the window dressing is the same with Devin Booker fanning out to the left wing. Paul drives to the same spot on the right elbow. Deandre Ayton sets a high screen for Paul. Take a look at this high pick-and-roll Phoenix ran for Chris Paul with just under six minutes left in the fourth quarter…ĭo you see a single difference? There isn't one. The Suns will have a chance to sweep Denver on Sunday night, when these two teams meet for Game 4, but until then, here are the three most important takeaways from Phoenix's Game 3 win. Nikola Jokic tried valiantly to give his team a chance, but despite 32 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, his Nuggets came up well short. Phoenix's star backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul led the way with 55 combined points, but it was a team-wide domination of the Nuggets as the Suns as a whole shot over 46 percent from 3 and 53 percent from the field. With a 116-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday, the Suns took a 3-0 lead in their second-round series and now appear poised to advance into the final four for the first time since 2010. It looks like history is going to repeat itself. The last time the Phoenix Suns were in the postseason, they advanced all the way to the Western Conference finals.
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