Given how well the Suns have played they were likely going to defeat the Nuggets regardless, of the controversial decision for Jokic.
The Phoenix Suns are making their first appearance in the Western Conference Finals since the 2009–10 campaign. Phoenix won Game 4 of the series against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at Ball Arena, 125-118, to complete the sweep. The Suns, who have won seven straight games since falling behind the Los Angeles Lakers 2-1 in the first round, were led by Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., and Will Barton all had strong games, but it wasn’t enough to help the Nuggets, who were never able to recover from losing Jamal Murray in this series. Jokic’s ejection in the third quarter for a flagrant 2 foul for winding up and striking Cameron Payne in the face while going for the ball didn’t help matters either. Denver’s late comeback attempts were undermined by that because they fizzled out without the MVP on the court.
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The first three games of this series proved that the Suns are legitimate title contenders if they hadn’t already done so when they eliminated the defending champions in the first round. According to the TNT broadcast, all five starters averaged at least 15 points per game, with Paul serving as both a facilitator and a clutch go-to player when the games were on the line. The future Hall of Famer provided assists and made his trademark midrange shots right away on Sunday, and everyone else chipped in as well. Due to his propensity for getting to the free-throw line and making shots from outside, Booker was an unstoppable scorer and had 21 points by halftime.
Jae Crowder and Cameron Johnson both made multiple three-pointers in the first half, with the latter dominating on defence with blocks and strong rebounding. The outcome was an eight-point advantage at the half. A fantastic chance to quickly defeat Denver and begin thinking about the Western Conference Finals.
Given how well the Suns have played, they were likely going to defeat the Nuggets regardless, but the controversial decision for Jokic was sent off made the task for the Suns like a cakewalk. Following his hard foul on Payne, Booker went chest-to-chest with the big man, and the visitors immediately retaliated by going on a run to increase their lead to double digits before the fourth quarter.
In that third quarter, Chris Paul put on a show with a variety of mid-range jumpers and controlled the pace even as Denver went on a run without Jokic. He attracted defenders, allowing Booker and Mikal Bridges to get through the defence while the Suns held the home team at bay despite the fervour of the crowd. Every time the Suns needed a play with an and-one, a steal and layup in transition, or a midrange jumper to ice it at the end of the game, CP3 continued to deliver. He was unstoppable and is currently one series away from playing in his first NBA Finals.
In this series, no game was more closely fought than Game 3. In Game 3 the Nuggets fell behind by 14 points despite Jokic’s dominant triple-double of 32 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists. Michael Malone, the head coach, tried to get some help on Sunday by starting Barton and Monte Morris. Phoenix is next heading to the Western Conference Finals. There it awaits the winner of the series between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.
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