![]() Neither the Suns or the Nuggets played with pace during the regular season, as they ranked 22nd and 23rd in the league in this category, respectively. ![]() Speed the Nuggets upįrank Vogel dishes on Suns’ offensive plan with Big 4 after Chris Paul departure They had just eight offensive rebounds in Game 1 and most of them did not come until it was too late!Īttacking the offensive glass not only puts pressure on the Nuggets, but it creates second-chance opportunities for the Suns and most importantly, attacking the glass could put Denver in foul trouble. Second-chance opportunities when you have Durant and Booker can be deadly and during the regular season, Phoenix ranked fifth in the league with 11.8 offensive rebounds per game. The Suns do not necessarily need to outrebound the Nuggets in order to win Game 2 and win moving forward in this series, but they must keep the differential in single digits and start attacking Denver in terms of grabbing offensive rebounds. This simply cannot happen from Ayton or anyone else on the Suns' roster heading into the second game of this series, otherwise they will be heading to Phoenix down 0-2. Ayton had a total of seven rebounds, but he looked very lost at times in Game 1 and there was even a sequence where he was watching Jokic and Durant battle for the rebound instead of getting involved! There has to be a sense of urgency from Phoenix heading into Game 2 to get the job done on the glass, especially since Durant was really the one one to step up with 14 rebounds. While they have the defending two-time MVP in Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets really weren't that strong of a rebounding team during the regular season and they've continued to be a very average rebounding team in the playoffs.Īs mentioned above, Denver simply outworked Phoenix in the first game of this series and that was very reflective in the box score when you look at the rebounding numbers for both sides. One of the key storylines coming out of Game 1 between the Suns and Nuggets was the fact that Denver outrebounded them 49-38. The Nuggets simply outplayed and outexecuted the Suns in Game 1, but heading into Game 2, Phoenix must show that they are the stronger team physically and mentally with their approach on defense. The Nuggets ranked fourth in the league in 3-point shooting percentage during the regular season and with both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray being able to score in the paint, any damage Denver does from 3-point range causes their lead to grow even further. In this series against the Nuggets specifically, Phoenix must find ways to slow Denver down from the perimeter. Paul has always been known to be a tough on-ball defender out on the perimeter, Ayton has held his own against some of the best big men in this league through the years and Durant is an extremely underappreciated defender both on the perimeter and in the paint. Scoring and offense is at the forefront of NBA games nowadays, but if you want to win a championship, your defense must step up.Įvery championship team since 2017 has ranked inside the Top-6 in defensive rating during the playoffs and when you look at the Suns this year, there is no reason why they can't be an elite defensive team. They are allowing an average of 119.5 points per game to their opponents. In the postseason, however, the Suns rank last in defensive rating out of the eight teams still fighting for a championship. However, they have struggled at times defensively and this problem presented itself in Game 1 when the Nuggets got virtually every shot they wanted, when they wanted.ĭuring the regular season, the Suns ranked seventh in the league in defensive rating and they only surrendered 111.6 points per game to their opponents, which ranked as the sixth-best opponent scoring average in the league. With Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, the Phoenix Suns are one of the better offensive teams in the league. With that said, fixing these three things will go a long way in helping them pick up a much-needed road win. Of course Phoenix will need to make adjustments heading into Game 2 if they are to even up this series before heading home for two games. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton is continuing to grow into a well-rounded center. ![]() Picked by many to reach the NBA Finals this season, the Suns are led by their stars in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul, plus former No. The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets will resume their Western Conference Semifinals series on Monday night after Denver took care of Phoenix fairly easily in Game 1.ĭefeating the Suns 125-107, the Nuggets reminded everyone why they are the team to beat as the 1-seed in the West, but the Suns are a very formidable foe. ![]()
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