![]() ![]() The Nuggets outscored the Timberwolves by 27 points with Jokic off the floor. The underlying story of the Nuggets’ five-game series win over the Timberwolves was Denver’s bench. If the Nuggets can turn Ayton into a non-factor, it will force the Suns to adjust significantly.ĭo the Nuggets tinker with their bench rotation? Phoenix doesn’t have many reinforcements behind their starting center either (Bismack Biyombo is the only other true big man that the Suns played in Round 1). Denver needs to test Ayton’s pick-and-roll coverage as much as they can too. Jokic needs to punish Ayton on the block. said at shootaround Saturday morning before Game 1. “This is going to be a different series,” Michael Porter Jr. The Suns can’t focus the same amount of attention on Jokic that they did in that second-round series. Deandre Ayton guarded him well in the playoffs two years ago, but this is a different Nuggets team, Jokic is a more powerful scorer on the block than he even was back then, and Denver has more weapons that can make Phoenix pay. He has to dominate his matchup - and dominate at a level higher than he did vs. If you’re beginning to analyze this series from any Nuggets angle, it starts with Jokic. It’s the back-to-back MVP and the best individual offensive force in the NBA against arguably the best pure scorer in the league. The Nuggets and Suns should produce an all-time offensive masterclass. I’d expect Phoenix to eventually resort to double-teaming Jokic as the series moves along. The Timberwolves had much better personnel to handle Jokic than Phoenix does - and Jokic averaged 26.2 points per game in the series which is right in line with his career playoff numbers. ![]() The Suns have similar problems on their hands. There might not be a great one for Booker right now either. There’s no great matchup for Durant in the league. It’s not a question of if the Nuggets can shut down the Suns’ two stars - if you’re counting, that’s a combined 65 points per game that they averaged in Round 1 - it’s about if they can contain them, just make it tough, and stay out of foul trouble. Aaron Gordon will be the default matchup on the two-time Finals MVP. Durant was elite in the first round against the Clippers too and averaged 28.4 points (51.8 FG%, 45.8 3P%), 7.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be his primary defender. He’s been arguably the best player in the playoffs so far. Key storylines that will shape the seriesīooker is coming off an all-time first-round performance - 37.2 points per game (60.2 FG%, 46.7 3P%), 5 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game. ![]() will hopefully bring the best out of the Nuggets. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Co. The first round against the Timberwolves was a tune-up. ![]() There are no more excuses for this group. Can Denver’s homegrown roster and core that’s been constructed through the draft and developed on a patient timeline take down a super team in Phoenix that’s been built through free agency and at the trade deadline? The Nuggets should have the talent, experience, and chemistry to get the job done. This series is the ultimate test for the Nuggets and the ultimate test for Denver against most of the rest of the NBA. The fate of this team as it’s currently constructed could be at stake. And because of that, everything is on the line for the Nuggets against the Suns. This is the deepest and most complete Nuggets team…maybe ever. Jokic finally has a full cast of competent role players around him. It feels like the Nuggets have been waiting three years for this moment. This is the most-important playoff series of the Nikola Jokic era. DNVR Road Trips- Broncos at Bears in Chicago. ![]()
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