Chris Paul added 17 points, Devin Booker had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Phoenix routed the Denver Nuggets 123-98 on Wednesday.
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The Phoenix Suns pulled out a dominant 123-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 on Wednesday to take a 2-0 lead in the series. The victory was the fifth straight for Phoenix this postseason. Chris Paul led the way for the Suns with 17 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers. Devin Booker also added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the surging Suns.
From the @CP3 Sweet Spot!
He don’t miss! pic.twitter.com/rp6BoTB8Ft
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) June 10, 2021
Phoenix appeared to be a step faster than Denver on both ends of the floor. All five Suns starters scored in double figures, compared to only two for the Nuggets’ first five. Freshly minted MVP Nikola Jokic paced the Nuggets with 24 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Moving forward, Nuggets coach Mike Malone is going to have to figure out a way to get his team going, particularly Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., who combined for just 17 points on 6 of 20 shooting in Game 2.
Chris Paul is one of the best playmakers in NBA history, and his passing ability was on full display in Game 2. Paul picked apart Denver’s defense with precision passing, and he set his teammates up with open opportunity after open opportunity.
? 17 PTS, 15 AST, 0 TOV for @CP3 ?
Chris Paul becomes the first player in @NBAHistory to reach 15 assists with 0 turnovers three separate times in the #NBAPlayoffs! #ThatsGame @Suns seek 3-0 series lead on Friday at 10 PM ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/uixM2u9g5O
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2021
Paul compiled 15 assists, which is tied for the third most he’s ever had in a playoff game. Paul didn’t record a single turnover during the entire game. He finished with a 15-0 assist to turnover ratio.
As eye-popping as Paul’s numbers were, this isn’t the first time that Paul recorded at least 15 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers in a playoff game. Paul has now accomplished the feat three times.
Playoff games with 15+ points, 15+ assists, 0 turnovers since the three-point era (1980):
3 — Chris Paul
3 — All other players combined(Submitted by @isaacvibehrs) pic.twitter.com/dQstmyvVEp
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 10, 2021
Over a decade and a half into his career, Paul still appears to be near the peak of his powers, and he’s an enormous part of the reason why the Suns are now just two wins away from a conference finals appearance.
Denver had a rough night from beyond the arc. The Nuggets started out slowly from long range, and they never quite able to recover. They shot just 1 of 13 from deep in the first quarter. When the final buzzer sounded, the Nuggets had attempted 43 threes, and made just 14 of them. That’s less than 33 percent, which is well below the league average.
The Nuggets shot 4-22 (18.2%) on 3-pt FG attempts in the 1st half of Game 2 vs the Suns tonight.
That’s tied for their 2nd-worst 3-pt shooting half over the last 25 seasons, regular season or playoffs (min. 20 attempts). pic.twitter.com/lyzKlkzTXV
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 10, 2021
By continuing to jack up shots from long range, the Nuggets played right into the Suns’ hands, as the misses led to transition opportunities for Phoenix.
Their full focus needs to be on Game 3, which is scheduled for Friday.
