Jamal Murray delivers 34 points, Nikola Jokic adds 24 and 19 boards and Denver leans on 2 big 1st-half runs to roll at home.
DENVER – Fresh out of the locker room, leading by 17 points, Denver coach Michael Malone signaled swiftly for a timeout … just 32 seconds into the second half, once Phoenix chopped four points off the home team’s edge.
See, like several of you, Malone watched wide-eyed when the Suns unleashed a third-quarter offensive tsunami in reeling off 50 points Tuesday to beat the LA Clippers in the opening round of the playoffs. So, Malone understood disappointment might be lying in wait before 19,762 frenzied fans screaming inside Ball Arena.
He wasn’t going for that.
“It was a quick timeout to say, ‘Hey man, let’s get our s— together,’” Malone explained. “This is a good team. Don’t give them life. Lock in. Let’s do our job and give ourselves the best chance to win.”
The Nuggets accomplished that mission Saturday in dominating the Suns 125-107 to seize Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Malone’s quick timeout demonstrated just how crucial every decision becomes when two teams chockful of stars clash head-to-head on the postseason stage.
Here are five takeaways from Game 1:
1. The Jamal Murray effect
With 10:30 left to play in Game 1, Jamal Murray spun into a step-back jumper for his 25th and 26th points of the night, only to collect his 28th at the 8:21 mark in transition after pulling down a rebound.
Fewer than two minutes later, the 26-year-old drilled a second consecutive 3-pointer to increase his scoring output to 34 points while pushing Denver to a 112-95 lead. Those two splashes rippled through Phoenix’s collective psyche and the fans at Ball Arena over a span of 28 seconds.
“Hitting that big shot and getting the crowd that loud, you live for those moments, and you want to make the most of those moments,” Murray said. “I’ve been waiting for a while to be healthy, to be back and playing at this level during this time of year. So, it just felt good to feel it and have the crowd behind us.”
Go behind the scenes with Jamal Murray as he tours Australia and talks about his upbringing, his career, playing along Nikola Jokic and his road back from injury.
Murray racked up 20 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, and the Nuggets are now 10-0 this season (including 3-0 in the playoffs) when the guard produces 30 points or more.
Sure, we saw a couple of shaky showings from Murray in the first round against Minnesota, but keep in mind he still averaged 27.2 points, 6.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds in five games against the Timberwolves.
More and more Murray is putting together breathtaking performances reminiscent of what transpired in the 2020 NBA bubble.
Most importantly, he’s positively affecting winning.
In five consecutive postseason runs in Denver, Malone and reigning two-time Kia MVP Nikola Jokic own an overall record of 26-28 with a 5-4 mark in playoff series. Remember that Murray wasn’t available for two of the team’s postseason appearances due to injuries. So, when the fifth-year guard slides into the mix, the Nuggets are 21-18 in the playoffs while finishing 4-2 in series.
2. Nuggets ignoring recent past
Game 1 marked the fifth time Phoenix and Denver clashed in the postseason, and the Suns own a 3-1 series record over the Nuggets (10-4 in the individual games). In fact, the Suns had defeated the Nuggets in seven consecutive playoff games entering Saturday’s clash.
Phoenix has eliminated Denver in two of the last three postseasons, but the Nuggets aren’t thinking about those two playoff setbacks, which include a 2021 sweep. The Nuggets are embracing their role as underdogs.
“I told our players the pressure’s on them,” Malone said. “No one’s picked us to win. So go out there and enjoy it, have fun with this. What a great opportunity to be the team that everybody’s picking to come out of the Western Conference.”
3. Fast start for Jokic
You’ll look at the fact Jokic is shooting 34% over his last two games, and that he shot just 9-for-21 in Game 1 against the Suns. But don’t ignore the lightning-fast start Jokic sped off to in helping Denver establish a level of physicality in the paint against the Suns.
Jokic posted a double-double by halftime (13 points and 14 rebounds) and nearly accomplished that feat in just the first 11 minutes of the game, eventually finishing with 24 points and 19 rebounds. The big man’s eight offensive rebounds tied the rest of the Nuggets combined in that category, as Denver won the rebounding battle by a large margin (49-38).
4. Dynamic Suns duo need help
With the Nuggets firing on all cylinders in Game 1, the Suns will need a much bigger scoring boost off the bench if they hope to rebound.
Kevin Durant (29 points) and Devin Booker (27) combined for 56 points, while the rest of the Suns contributed 51 in Game 1.
Still, credit Denver for blitzing every pick and roll involving either of the Phoenix stars to limit their effectiveness.
“I think one of the reasons we did such a good job defending the mid-range is because we gave them attention at the level of the screen and just didn’t let them walk in, walk into their spots,” Malone said. “[We] made them have to work for it. You’re not going to shut down Kevin Durant, and you’re not going to shut down Devin Booker. You’ve just got to make it hard for them, give them different looks.”
Booker and Durant entered Game 1 having produced the highest scoring average by a duo in a single series since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in the 2001 Western Conference semifinals. In fact, Durant now sits just 32 points away from passing Karl Malone for seventh on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list and he’s 18 made field goals away from surpassing Tony Parker for ninth on that list.
After averaging six assists in the opening round, Durant dished only one Saturday, against a game-high seven turnovers, as the Nuggets scored 18 points off the visiting team’s 16 giveaways. Durant has scored 25 points or more in every game so far this postseason, and he’s now tied with Kobe Bryant for the fourth-most playoff games (123) with 25 points or more.
5. Suns starters working OT
Durant and Booker draw all the attention, but Phoenix’s entire starting group carried the load throughout its first-round series against the Clippers, averaging 107.6 points. Along with Booker and Durant, the starting lineup that included Chris Paul, Torrey Craig, and Deandre Ayton scored 88.2% of the Suns’ points in the first round, and that registers as the highest portion of a team’s total output in a single series since the Cavaliers (89.1%) in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals. Phoenix appeared to hold to its established strategy in Denver’s high altitude for Game 1.
The Suns switched up the starting lineup a tad, using Josh Okogie with the first group instead of Craig (Okogie had started 26 straight games to close out the regular season). But the first unit tallied all but three of the team’s 51 points over the first two quarters as the visitors fell into a 17-point hole at intermission.
Craig, Landry Shamet, Bismack Biyombo and Damion Lee each logged minutes off the bench over the first 24 minutes of Game 1 with Lee hitting the lone bucket for the reserves. Denver’s bench contributed just seven points in the first half (23 for the game). But the Nuggets’ depth proved more impactful on both ends, as Bruce Brown and Christian Braun combined for seven steals to help Denver tie its season high (14).
The Nuggets' defense played cohesively from the opening tip and stifled the Suns, who seem to still be figuring out the offense.
Entering the Western Conference Semifinals, Phoenix’s bench had contributed a total of 72 points in five games against the Clippers. Suns coach Monty Williams played a total of eight reserves in Game 1, as they waved the white flag early in this one. Phoenix’s bench chipped in 24 points in the series opener.
“If our bench in those moments when we do sub, if they have scoring production, that’s great,” Williams said. “But sometimes, it’s rebounding or just getting a stop that may not be valued as much anymore in the league, but we do [value that]. The way our team is built probably lends itself to more scoring in the starting lineup.”
Yet Malone believed his team could minimize that by siphoning away the juice from Phoenix’s high-powered offense by forcing the stars to consistently guard threats.
Booker and Durant played 40 and 36 minutes, respectively, in Game 1.
“We have to involve Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and make them have to defend us,” Malone said. “Move the basketball, set physical screens, and not allow those guys just to hang out on the defensive end of the floor. Because if you allow that, then on offense, they’re going to have a lot of energy.”
