Saturday night in the 2023 NBA Playoffs only had one game, but it was the Denver Nuggets putting on a show at home against the Phoenix Suns in a 125-107 win. In a game with multiple MVP winners and future Hall of Famers on the court, Denver’s Jamal Murray shined the brightest with a game-high 34 points.
Murray’s Playoff Dominance
While the Nuggets were the No. 1 seed in the regular season and a 4-point home favorite in Game 1, the Suns were still slight favorites in this series going into Saturday night. There is a sense of disrespect for Denver as a No. 1 seed, perhaps because the Nuggets do not feature a traditional No. 2 star in the way most championship teams are built.
But Jamal Murray has been an impressive playoff performer. In the 2020 bubble, he rose to fame when he scored 50, 42, and 50 points in a three-game span against Utah. But injury cost Murray the next two seasons, and he is finally healthy again this year.
Murray ripped Phoenix for 34 points, already the third time in six playoff games this year that he scored that many points. Murray was 6-of-10 from three, making only one fewer three than the Suns (7-of-23) made in the entire game.
When Nikola Jokic’s teammates are shooting the three that well, it is going to be tough for Phoenix, a top-heavy team that does not get a lot of 3-point shooting volume, to catch up to them.
The Suns were 16-3 this season when shooting better than 50% from the field, and they shot 51.2% in this game. But the Nuggets were plus-9 in made threes, a big advantage to overcome.
Suns Bad on Defense Again
We should have known something was wrong when the Suns were allowing a lot of points to the Clippers in the first round even when Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were out with injuries. Not surprisingly, Denver looked fresh at home after a few days of rest and playing at altitude.
The Nuggets dropped 68 points in the first half and led by 17 points thanks to a dominant second quarter that saw Denver edge Phoenix 37-19. Not only was Denver much better at shooting the three, but the Nuggets had 9 turnovers compared to 16 turnovers for the Suns.
Kevin Durant had 7 turnovers himself in a sloppy game where he was a minus-20. That diminished the 29 points and 14 rebounds Durant had to lead the team in both categories.
Devin Booker scored 27 points but did not make a three. Deandre Ayton was no match for Jokic, who had 24 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists in just under 33 minutes of action.
The Suns lost Game 1 of their last series too before eliminating the Clippers in Game 5, but they are going to have to find a way to defend better and make up this 3-point shooting differential.
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