Nuggets-Suns Preview

By JUSTIN EINHORN
Posted Apr 20 2012 9:38PM

Both the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns will control their playoff fate regardless of the result of this matchup. Denver, though, certainly is in the more enviable position.

Either the Nuggets will clinch a postseason berth or the Suns will take a big step closer to getting one Saturday in Phoenix.

Denver (34-28) is 1 1/2 games ahead of the Suns (33-30) and Utah with a game in hand on those teams, who are tied for the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. Since they own the season series tiebreaker with Phoenix, having won the first two meetings, a Nuggets victory Saturday would mean the Suns can't catch them for one of the West's last two available playoff berths.

"If we get out there and take care of business, we'll be cemented into the playoffs," guard Arron Afflalo told the team's official website, "and anything can happen from there."

If Phoenix loses, it may fall a game behind the Jazz, who host an Orlando team missing Dwight Howard on Saturday night. However, the Suns could move back into a tie with Utah on Tuesday when those teams meet, and they would have the edge for the No. 8 seed because they've won that season series. That means if Phoenix beats Denver, it could punch its ticket to the playoffs with another win Tuesday.

Houston remains in the mix, a game behind Phoenix and Utah, but the Suns would own the tiebreaker over the Rockets - a better conference record - if they win their next two contests.

"I don't like to term these must-win games," coach Alvin Gentry said. "Every game you have to go out and play and see what happens. We still have to line up Saturday and play Denver."

The Suns are looking to avoid going back-to-back seasons without a playoff berth for the first time since a three-year drought from 1986-88.

Denver hasn't missed the postseason since 2003 but has advanced past the first round only once in that span.

The Nuggets have won five straight in this series, averaging 120.0 points, though four of those games were in Denver. They had a 12-game losing streak in Phoenix before winning their most recent visit, 116-97 on March 10, 2011.

Afflalo missed that matchup but has averaged 27.0 points in his last three games against the Suns.

Denver has won seven in a row overall when Afflalo has scored at least 20, but he was held to 12 in a 104-98 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

The Suns beat the playoff-bound Clippers 93-90 in Phoenix the following night.

"We found a way to hang around when we could have gone south a lot of moments tonight," said Steve Nash, who had six turnovers. "But we hung in there and found a way to just scrap and claw - you know, big win."

Nash has 9,887 assists and needs four to pass Oscar Robertson for fifth place on the career list. He's looking to avoid going three straight games without reaching double figures in assists for the first time since November 2010.

The Suns have alternated wins and losses in their last seven overall but are 12-3 at home since the All-Star break.

Denver is 6-10 on the road since Feb. 14, and three of its four remaining games are outside Colorado.

Nuggets beat Suns 118-107, clinch playoff berth

By BOB BAUM
Posted Apr 22 2012 1:36AM

PHOENIX (AP) Now that the Denver Nuggets are in the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, there will be no letting up for the final three games of the regular season.

Coach George Karl wants his young team to gain some momentum, and there's still a chance to pass Dallas for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference.

Ty Lawson went 5 of 5 on 3-pointers and had 29 points and 10 assists to lead Denver to the playoff-clinching 118-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

Denver pulled even with Dallas after the Mavericks lost at Chicago. Dallas, though, has the tiebreaker with the Nuggets.

"We have three games left and we are going to try to win all three of them There won't be any rest going on here," Karl said. "We are not in that mode. We are into getting better and coming together. It is a young team that will have to learn how to win in the playoffs. On the job training, but it has been done before."

The Suns fell a game behind Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Jazz, playing at home, rallied to beat Orlando in overtime. Phoenix must win at Uah on Tuesday to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Suns own the tiebreaker against the Jazz.

"We got to go into Utah - tough environment, tough atmosphere, tough team - and we got to win," said the Suns' Shannon Brown, who scored 28 points, including a career-best 6 3s in 12 attempts. "That's basically what it comes down to."

Steve Nash of the Suns had 13 assists, nine in the first quarter, and passed Oscar Robertson into fifth place on the NBA's career list. The Suns lost Channing Frye to a shoulder injury in the second quarter.

The Nuggets beat the Suns for the sixth straight time, three this season.

"They've got size, they got strength, they got a lot of skill, they can shoot the ball," Nash said. "You know, they've got a really good team, a really deep team, so they've been causing a lot of problems for us and we haven't been able to beat them."

Arron Afflalo scored 19 points and Kenneth Faried had 16 for the Nuggets, who had six players finish in double figures, shot 55 percent from the field and had a 26-2 advantage on fastbreak points.

Lawson noted that the Suns, like so many other teams, passed on him in the 2009 draft. Phoenix chose Earl Clark at No. 14. Lawson finally went at No. 18 to Minnesota.

"I mean, that is probably the only added motivation I have," Lawson said. "It has nothing against Steve. He is definitely one of my idols so you always want to see how good you are against your idols."

Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix.

Denver used a third-period outburst to build a 21-point lead. The Suns cut it to 10 in the fourth quarter but could get no closer.

Nash passed Robertson with his fourth assist, on a 3-pointer by Frye just 4:22 into the game. The two-time MVP had assists on five of Phoenix's first six field goals and finished the first quarter with nine.

After a tight first half, the Nuggets outscored Phoenix 33-14 to start the third quarter, going up 93-72 on Al Harrington's fastbreak dunk with 2:31 left in the period. The Suns, though, scored the final eight points of the quarter to cut it to 93-80 entering the fourth. The closest the Suns got after that was 105-95 on Brown's 3 with 4:42 left. Lawson and Andre Miller followed with layups and Phoenix didn't threaten again.

"We could never get them under control at the start of the third quarter," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "They got a couple of easy layups and we struggled to slow them down from there."

Lawson scored 11 points in the third quarter, making 4 of 6 shots, including all three 3-point attempts.

The Nuggets led 60-58 after a first half that saw neither team lead by more than six points. Denver shot 59.5 percent in the first half, led by Lawson's 7 for 9 for 16 points. The Suns shot 54 percent in the first half, with Gortat going 6 for 9 for 14 points.

Frye sustained a subluxed right shoulder when he went up for a rebound with 4:33 left in the first half. The Suns' starting power forward, who leads the team with 91 3-pointers, missed nearly two weeks after dislocating the same shoulder late last season.

Notes: Nash, with 9,897 assists, trails only Magic Johnson (10,141), Mark Jackson (10,334), Jason Kidd (11,830 and counting) and John Stockton (15,806). ... The Nuggets won the season series 3-0. ... The Suns' Robin Lopez, ejected for a "flagrant 2" foul in the victory over the Clippers on Thursday, drew a technical from referee Rodney Mott with 6:09 left in the first half.

Notebook: Nuggets 118, Suns 107

Posted Saturday April 21, 2012 9:26PM

By Mike Tulumello, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Denver Nuggets have barged through the door of the NBA's playoff party.

That door is still open, barely, for the Phoenix Suns.

The Nuggets became the seventh team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot with an easy 118-107 win over the Suns. They also pulled within a half-game of No. 6 Dallas, which plays at Chicago Saturday night.

For the Suns to make the playoffs, they'll have to win at Utah Tuesday night then will have to win again at home Wednesday night against the sizzling San Antonio Spurs, who are gunning for the No. 1 spot in the West.

The Suns, with a win over the Nuggets, could have wrapped up the No. 8 spot simply by beating the Jazz. But after an emotional win Thursday night over the Los Angeles Clippers, they had little to offer vs. the Nuggets.

"Our whole team was lost defensively," lamented Suns head coach Alvin Gentry, who also was disappointed in his team's 17 turnovers, many unforced.

"They are just a really good offensive team. You turn the ball over against them, and they will are going to make you pay."

Ty Lawson had 29 points, 10 assists and just one turnover to lead the Nuggets. He outplayed Steve Nash, who had eight points, 13 assists and five turnovers (he's committed 16 turnovers the past three games).

"Nothing against Steve Nash; he's definitely one of my idols," Lawson said of his motivation.

"Maybe against the Phoenix organization, because they picked someone else in front of me when I came out of the draft. So that is probably the only added motivation I have."

In 2009, the Suns picked forward Earl Clark No. 14, who played little for them, over Lawson (picked No. 18) by then-general-manager Steve Kerr and the Suns.

Also, Kenneth Faried, considered by the Suns' in last year's draft, had 18 points and 11 boards. Arron Afflalo had 19 points.

Shannon Brown led the Suns with 28 points, the second-highest scoring game of his career. But he shot a modest 10-for-24. Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 11 boards.

Sebastian Telfair shot 6-for-7 for 15 points off the bench.

In a game-time decision, Grant Hill, though not listed as injured or inactive before the game, ended up sitting out his fourth straight with knee soreness.

The availability of the Suns' defensive specialist is uncertain for the final two games.

Also, Channing Frye suffered a shoulder injury and did not return after being hit by Danilo Gallinari.

QUOTABLE: "An incredible road win..never going under 10 points (the Nuggets' lead late in the game)...a smart game, a complete game.
-- Nuggets head coach George Karl.

THE STAT: The Nuggets made the playoffs for the ninth straight season.

TURNING POINT: Moments after halftime, with the Nuggets leading 62-60, Faried dunked and Afflalo scored on a fast-break layup off. A turnover by Nash, on a pass fumbled by Jared Dudley, set up a 3-pointer by Lawson that made it 69-60. That 7-0 run ballooned to 21-4, with Lawson hitting two more 3-pointers and Gallinari nailing another.

QUOTABLE II: "I don't see the significance of saying that. If we lose, should we not go to Utah and play. Should we not play San Antonio?"
-- Gentry before the game on whether it was a "must-win" situation.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The Suns had little homecourt advantage playing before quiet fans on a Saturday afternoon. When the Nuggets' lead reached 93-72 near the end of the third quarter, a few boo-birds could be heard.

HOT: The Nuggets hit six of their first eight 3-pointers to break the game open.

NOT: Rookie Markieff Morris shot 1-for-6 for three points in 18 quiet minutes.

GOOD MOVE: Faried took advantage of his athletic ability in dominating Frye early.

BAD MOVE: With the Suns trailing 48-47 in the second quarter, Dudley waited for an easy pass from Brown for an uncontested layup. Instead, Brown wound up and fired a pass way over Frye's head and out of bounds.

ROOKIE WATCH: The Nuggets' Faried, one of the few rookies contributing significantly to a playoff team, was too much for Frye and the Suns. Faried shot 9-for-13 for 18 points. He also had 11 rebounds, three blocks and zero turnovers. "It feels very, very good for me as a rookie, on a playoff team, being able to start and doing the things I have been," said Faried, who said the Suns told him he was "No. 2 on their radar." The Suns picked Morris instead at No. 13. Faried went No. 22 to the Nuggets.

NOTABLE: With four quick assists to start the game, Nash moved into fifth place all-time, ahead of Oscar Robertson, with 9,888.

UP NEXT: For the Nuggets, Sunday vs. Magic, Wednesday @ Oklahoma City and Thursday @ Minnesota. For the Suns, Tuesday @ Utah and Wednesday vs. San Antonio.

• Nuggets: --
• Suns: --

• Nuggets: --
• Suns: Lopez

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #71 Rodney Mott, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 15877
• Duration: 2:12