Porter’s off-ball defense is a key weak link for the Nuggets, and the Suns’ offense will continue attacking his weak-side defensive decision-making with their sets, especially if his back injury limits his movement.Get the free Action Network app for expert picks, live odds, bet tracking and more. After Williams and the Suns thrived against the Lakers last round, I like their chances of doing so against the Nuggets.Ĭampazzo can’t guard Paul and although Aaron Gordon has shown he is a quality individual defender, Booker has the upper hand on him and is playing his best basketball over the last three games. If Jokic is winded down the stretch, the Nuggets will struggle.Ī strength of Nuggets head coach Michael Malone is his traditionally on-point adjustments as series unfold, so Monty Williams (the runner-up in the NBA Coach of the Year Award voting) must stay a step ahead with wrinkles in his offense to beat the Suns’ defense. This is even more advantageous for the Suns since it increases Jokic's work defensively, but also because their game plan to defend the Serbian star has been to make him work harder on offense and become a score-first player. This defensive scheme also led to Jokic logging more distance on defense than he did in any non-double-overtime game in the first round against the Blazers. Denver's defenders tagged rollers after the hedge, and this left open corner 3-point attempts that the Suns took advantage of. This defensive strategy is still a better idea than switching or playing a drop for the Nuggets, but the Suns are better positioned to beat it with their quick passing and secondary scorers than the Trail Blazers were in the last round. However, Denver’s defense crumbled after the likes of Chris Paul and Devin Booker beat the hard hedges with quick passes (either to the player setting the screen or out to the perimeter) that led to open shots. The Nuggets’ defense is at its best with Jokic defending pick and rolls by meeting the ball-handler at the level of the screen and preventing him from getting downhill. The Suns run some of the best spread offensive sets in the NBA, and their spacing and shooting led them to the Game 1 win. Defending PHX seems mentally exhausting, especially as the game progresses. Generating corners 3s wasn't all just a product of DEN's hedges. If the Suns continue having success in this series, it will be because their offense stays a step ahead of the Nuggets.Īs a lifelong Suns fan, look at how much Monty Williams crammed into this opening play. Starting guards Facundo Campazzo and Austin Rivers also need to make open shots while holding their own defensively against the Suns’ backcourt. Morris did dish out six assists without committing a turnover, but he must be more efficient from the field in Game 2 as the main playmaker when Jokic rests. Monte Morris is the next best perimeter scorer, but he struggled mightily in Game 1 as he scored just two points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field, including missing all four of his 3-point attempts. He must be the Nuggets’ reliable second scoring option, as he is by far the best perimeter scoring option with Murray out. Porter will need to play more and have a bigger scoring role in this series, despite the back injury. Porter scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting (3-of-8 on 3-pointers) while not moving well in the second half as he played just 31 minutes, which was the same number as Austin Rivers. While Jokic didn’t have a horrible game, the Nuggets need him to do more in Game 2 as they remain shorthanded without two of their four leading scorers (Murray and Barton) while a third (Porter) is banged up. This was just the fifth time all season that Jokic failed to shoot a single free throw, and he did this while recording just three assists after averaging 8.3 assists during the regular season. Jokic had an off shooting night as Ayton did as well of a job as anyone in the NBA has of contesting Jokic’s shots consistently without fouling (just one foul in 36 minutes). The Suns did their best to close the passing lanes and make Jokic a pure scorer while limiting his playmaking for others. The Nuggets struggled to score in Game 1 as Ayton guarded Jokic while other Suns defenders stayed close to their men. PJ Dozier (right adductor strain) remains out, along with Jamal Murray (torn ACL). (back) is questionable after sitting more often than usual in the second half of Game 1, while Will Barton (strained right hamstring) has been upgraded from out to doubtful.
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