The Phoenix Suns had themselves another heartbreaker tonight. Devin Booker had a chance to add another game-winner to his resume, but it was just off the mark.
It was a physical game with plenty of runs and swings from two potent offenses. Nikola Jokic had another effortless triple-double, pouring in 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 17 assists on 9-16 FG. Denver had seven players score 9 or more
points, including 21 from Jamal Murray.
The Suns had their own balanced attack, with six players pouring in 11 points or more. Devin Booker finished with 22 points and 8 assists on 5 of 14 shooting. Jalen Green chipped in with 21 points of his own on 6 of 13 shooting from the floor. Phoenix also got some key contributions from its role players, with Grayson Allen adding 21 points and Royce O’Neale chipping in with 17.
This is the type of loss that all but punches your ticket into the play-in, barring an otherworldly finish to the final 9 games of the season.
Game Flow
First Half
The teams opened the game trading buckets early on. Then, the Suns turned it up a notch offensively to create a bit of separation.
A pair of Royce O’Neale and Collin Gillespie triples paced Phoenix. Gillespie poured in 8 points in a hurry against his former team to give Phoenix a 25-16 lead.
The Suns led by as many as 11 points in the opening quarter, despite getting outrebounded 15-9. Denver had 16 points in the paint in the opening quarter to Phoenix’s 12.
Phoenix also did a strong job of taking care of the basketball, as they did not commit a single turnover while dishing out 10 assists as a team in the opening 12 minutes.
After one, the Suns held a 35–28 lead. Collin Gillespie led the way with 8 points. Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale each had six points, connecting on a pair of threes each. One of those Allen threes just so happened to be the 1,000th of his career.
Jalen Green had himself quite the second quarter, pouring in 11 points in a flurry. From a straight-up “movement” perspective, it was the bounciest and most explosive he’s looked as a Sun.
Then came the response from Denver. They opened the 2nd quarter on a 13-6 push to even things up at 41 about halfway through the quarter.
A balanced Denver attack offensively was tearing the Suns’ defense apart, as the Nuggets took a 52-50 lead, which led to a Jordan Ott timeout to regroup.
The timeout did not slow the momentum, as the Nuggets continued to dominate the interior and extend their lead to 12. Denver poured in 39 points in the quarter, taking complete control offensively.
At the break, the Nuggets led 67-57. Jokic had a casual 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists at the half. Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen led the way for Phoenix with 11 points each.
Second Half
The physicality of the third quarter picked up quite a bit, with Phoenix showing they were not going down without a fight.
Jokic kept carving up Phoenix’s defense as a playmaker, but the Suns got a boost from Royce O’Neale and Jalen Green to propel the offense after a mediocre 2nd quarter.
Every Phoenix right hook was answered with a Denver jab, it seemed. Until they didn’t.
Jordan Goodwin drilled a corner three to make it a four-point game, 94-90, with 1:14 left in the third. That was followed by a steal and a Grayson Allen three-pointer to make it a one-point game.
The offensive explosion led to some great defensive energy, including this rejection by Man Man.
Denver led 97-95 after three. The Suns scored 38 points in the quarter, making up ground from the previous dud of a second quarter.
The 4th quarter saw plenty of that continued intensity from both sides. Jordan Goodwin picked up full-court in his typical pesky fashion.
The Nuggets deployed a “hack-an-Oso” at the end of the game. He struggled all night from the line, but drilled a pair of late attempts to make him 3 for 7 on the night.
A late-game foul on Devin Booker put Jokic on the charity stripe in what was a three-point game, and he split the pair. The next possession, Booker drew a trip to the line and drilled them both to make it a two-point game with 1:21 remaining in the game.
Jalen Green slashed aggressively to the lane for a scoop and score to even it at 121 apiece. Jamal Murray answered with a tough fadeaway jumper, and Booker quickly responded with a mid-range hit of his own. Tied at 123 with 29.1 seconds left.
Jokic drilled an easy floater with 11.5 seconds left to give Denver a two-point lead. Timeout Suns. Devin Booker tracked down an errant pass from Royce O’Neale in the backcourt, leading to a scrambled possession, but ultiamtely Book got a clean look from three with a chance to win it. No good. Game over.
Up Next
The Suns will have a few days off but remain at home and host the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
