Unfortunately, the Suns were unable to complete the comeback against the Nuggets at home, and after losing this key battle, the Suns' record came to 11-8, although this result is enough to be accepted in the case of the Suns' continuous injuries, but in the highly competitive West, the Suns still have no respite. Despite their current position in 5th place in the West, they are only 2 ahead of the Warriors in 10th place0 wins, plus Beal is still some time away from coming back, Booker is also in the stage of recuperation, the state is average, and most of the burden is on Durant, which is not good news for the Suns. With 54 million in 3 years, the Suns deal was a great success, the decisiveness of the management was rewarded, and there was only one hidden danger left in the championship.
The recent situation of the Suns can be said to be a bit miserable, with two consecutive defeats and injuries to Beal and Booker, the two core guards, as well as Durant's ankle, which makes it difficult for the Suns to move forward, and there are many hidden dangers. It's not like there's no good news for the Suns, though, and against the Nuggets, at least in terms of matchups on the inside, the Suns see what they want to see. shot 9 of 18, personally cut 21 points, 5 rebounds, 16 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, Nuggets center Jokic is still leisurely slamming down this kind of data that is very exaggerated on others, but it is not strange to appear in Jokic himself. Obviously, Jokic is now the league's No. 1 center, and he is even the strongest player in the overall situation. However, the play of Suns center Nurkic is also enough to excite the Suns.
Shooting 13-of-22, including 2-of-6 from three-point range, Nurkic used extreme efficiency to score 31 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. It's true that Nurkic had six turnovers and six fouls and looked embarrassed, but his tough attitude on the court against Jokic and his efficient offensive performance are enough to prove how right the Suns were in the trade before the start of the season. Closer to the start of training camp, the Suns found the right time to join the Bucks and the Trail Blazers in a trade, and they traded DeAndre Ayton as the main chip from the Trail Blazers for Jokic and others. This deal was once criticized.
Of course, fans don't think there's anything wrong with the Suns sending Ayton away, but everyone thinks that the Suns don't need to be in such a hurry to send Ayton away, and the latter's trade value shouldn't be so bad. The Suns can wait patiently to see how Ayton will play under Vogel before making a decision. Now, the Suns management's decision is undoubtedly the right one, continue to keep Ayton in the team, the latter's trade value will not increase, and the Suns have also lost a great opportunity to get a tough all-around interior line, and Nurkic is the answer in the center position when the Suns compete for the championship.
As the team that eliminated the Suns in the Western Conference semifinals before, the defending champion Nuggets are obviously regarded by the Suns as the biggest reverie rival on the road to the championship, and Jokic is the player that the Suns have been unable to handle. It is true that Nurkic can't guard Jokic, but looking at the entire league and even the basketball circle of the whole world, who player can limit Jokic today?Nurkic not only showed a tough attitude against Jokic, but also played a momentum that Ayton couldn't play in his entire career. Before the end of the quarter, Nurkic attacked Jokic three consecutive rounds, he ate an offensive foul once, and the other two times he threw the ball in.
Nurkic's refusal to admit defeat and tough attitude in the face of top opponents alone has already thrown off Ayton several streets, not to mention his all-round attributes and non-weak attributes in key battles. As time went on, no one questioned the Suns management anymore about the deal that Ayton traded for Nurkic. Clearly, the Suns are the big winners in this three-way deal. On the one hand, Ayton's performance with the Trail Blazers was unsatisfactory, and on the other hand, even the Bucks, who got Lillard, now have run-in problems, on the other hand, the Suns have got the interior pillar they want the most.
Although this Nuggets team does not have Murray, the Suns can still fight with the Nuggets without Booker, without Beal, and Durant is completely lost in the second half. At the moment, the Suns only have one biggest hidden danger left, and that is injury. There is no specific conclusion on when Beal will return, Booker's ankle sprained, and Durant's ankle has also been sore in the previous period, but fortunately, it is only the beginning of the season, and the Suns still have a long time to adjust the injuries of the core players.