A few days ago, the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets had a thrilling game at Pepsi Center in Colorado, and although the Nuggets struggled tenaciously with the excellent performance of players such as Jokic, they ended in failure.
On March 6, 2024, Beijing time, the Phoenix Suns faced the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Prior to that, the Suns had won six in a row and were praised as one of the best teams this season; The Nuggets, on the other hand, were the last NBA champions and are also a powerhouse in the West this season. This is also the second consecutive meeting between the two sides, with the Suns narrowly beating the Nuggets on the road in the previous game. However, back on the Nuggets' home court this time, they are clearly looking forward to a continuation of the win. In addition to facing a formidable opponent, Suns core Devin Booker is also unavailable due to injury, which undoubtedly adds uncertainty to the game.
However, as soon as the game began, the Denver Nuggets showed their sheer quality, especially with impressive performances from Murray and Jokic. The former finished with 11 points, two rebounds and three assists on 5-of-7 shooting; The latter contributed six points, three rebounds and two assists. In addition, Porter Jr. also hit two three-pointers from the outside, allowing the team to score 32 points in the first quarter without any suspense. On the other hand, despite Aaron Allen's outstanding performance of hitting four three-pointers and scoring 12 points, one rebound and one assist, and Kevin Durant's steady performance of six points, one rebound and one assist, it still couldn't prevent the team from losing by as many as eight points in the first quarter.
However, as the game entered the second quarter, the Denver Nuggets suddenly fell into scoring difficulties, scoring only 18 points in the whole quarter, and Aaron Allen hit two more three-pointers in succession to lead the Suns to 37 points in a single quarter, making the two sides lead the Nuggets by 15 points at 65:50 at the end of the first half. It was difficult to narrow the gap to 9 points in the third quarter, but in the final decisive moment, the Suns once again fell into a scoring drought. After scoring just six points in eight minutes, the Nuggets also struggled on the offensive end, scoring just nine points as well. In the decisive period, Bradley Beal's key three-pointer helped the team drag the game into overtime, and then in overtime, he used a key three-pointer to break through the Nuggets' defense and help the Suns maintain their lead.
It can be said that Durant is the focus of this competition. At the end of the game, he chipped in a luxurious stat panel of 35 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and also used his superb three-point skills to defeat the Denver Nuggets in overtime. Another player who has attracted attention, Aaron Allen, is like Ray Allen possessed, hitting 8 three-pointers in 12 shots from beyond the three-point line, totaling 28 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, and taking on the team's scoring responsibilities well. Beal also proved his worth in overtime, shooting 6 of 18 from the field and contributing a total of 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists to save the Suns' fortunes.
Despite the Denver Nuggets' best efforts, especially the main player Jokic, who was unable to withstand the Suns' flood of offense, he still contributed 25 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. It's a pity that Nurkic, who is in the prime of life, was sent off for 6 fouls and can only accept the result of a banging down on the court. In addition, Murray's performance was also impressive, with 28 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, perfectly illustrating the authority of the team's No. 2 leader. However, the rest of the Nuggets team was lackluster overall, with Gordon in particular hitting just three of his 10 shots and scoring seven points, three rebounds and three assists.