A key battle in the NBA regular season, infighting in the West, Suns vs. Nuggets. The Suns lost to the Raptors in the last game and missed 8 consecutive wins, the momentum of victory was interrupted, this battle met the defending champions, Booker and Beal couldn't play, Durant led the team with a single core, it was very difficult to upset the next gram, and everyone was not optimistic about them. Since Murray came back, the Nuggets team is back on track, but he is gone again in this game, Gordon is not there, Jokic is also a single-core leader, but the team's underlying strength is there, and now Jokic is stronger than Durant, so as long as he plays at the level he deserves, four consecutive wins will not be a problem.
Nuggets starters: Holiday , Porter, Jokic, Pope, Reggie;Suns: Durant, Diop, Nurkic, Gordon, Allen.
Holiday became the vanguard of the Nuggets, scoring five points in a row on inside and outside, and the Suns responded strongly with Nurkic and Durant. Porter dunked with one hand, Durant hit a three-point jumper, Reggie had no problem with three points, Nurkic raised fire and put it in, and the two sides came up to feel hot, and the score rose alternately. Jokic pushed the shot with high difficulty, and Nurkic scored three points, which really didn't concede. After the timeout, Jokic's shot was finally iron, but Durant still couldn't block it, and the Suns took the lead.
After the rotation came up, the Nuggets played better, and Jokic was strategic. Mistakes came up on the Suns' side, Durant's shooting efficiency dropped, and the defense came down, trailing 23-26. Vogel's timeout didn't work, the play was too simple, the defense still couldn't retreat, Porter counterattacked and scored a double-double, Reggie made an empty three-pointer, Braun converted a layup, Jokic threw a shot, and the Nuggets scored consecutive points through counterattacks, 35-25 to stop Vogel again. Jokic is so strong, not only can he score, but he can also lead the team, and he deserves to be the first person in the league. After Jokic and Durant went down, the two sides went five-five, rookies pecked each other, and the Nuggets ended the first quarter 41-30 Suns.
Jokic had 6 points, 5 assists and 2 rebounds, +10;Durant 12 points and 2 assists, -10, the difference between a handsome talent and a general, which is why Durant can't lead the team to win the championship, a top hitter, not a commander.