His two-man game with Monte Morris isn’t the same as his two-man game with Jamal Murray, but it’ll still be a major challenge for the Suns collectively and Deandre Ayton individually.One of the top matchups in the NBA's first full slate of games is a rematch of last year's Western Conference semifinal matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. I’m going with the Nuggets, though, because there are just no good answers for Nikola Jokic. Phoenix is playing better basketball right now, and it deserves to be favored against a team missing its second-best player. In 56 games for Denver this season, Barton is averaging up 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists. The CBS writer goes on to say that he expects Nuggets wingman Will Barton to come back as he is nursing an injured hamstring. If Ayton gets himself into foul trouble, he believes it could mean bad news for Phoenix. Hubert is eyeing the matchup down low between Ayton and Jokić. With the best player in the NBA this season, the Nuggets’ storybook season continues, even against a team that’s probably more talented in the aggregate. Nothing in this backwards season makes sense, and the West is wide open. Since then, the Nuggets are 17-7, improved their playoff seed and went on the road to clinch a series in six games. Talk, as Michael Malone likes to say, is cheap. It was tough to know whether Denver’s confidence, even in the wake of Jamal Murray’s ACL tear, had any merit.
Throughout this postseason for Denver, Jokić is putting up an impressive 33.0 points points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists in six games. In their three matchups earlier this season, the Nuggets center averaged 25.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists against Phoenix. The Denver Posts writes that despite Ayton improving significantly on both ends of the court this season, they are giving the edge to NBA MVP finalist Jokić. Deandre Ayton has improved by leaps and bounds, Devin Booker is a star, Chris Paul has found the right place for his opus and Monty Williams knows just what strings to pull to get the best out of the team’s depth and young talent. Taking down the Lakers, even with A.D.’s absence at the series’ close, is something else entirely. That certainly will be the case as the Nuggets have been starting guards Austin Rivers and Facundo Campazzo.īesting a hapless Portland team that regressed to Dame Time and a bunch of other guys is one thing. Reiter believes that if Paul doesn’t re-aggravate his right shoulder, the Suns will have the backcourt advantage against Denver.
Going all the way back to last year’s bubble, Phoenix has been in synch and on a mission with just the right mix of veteran leadership, experience, youth and hunger. Denver managed to pick apart Portland’s weak defense, but it now faces a Suns defense that ranked sixth during the regular season. This series is the type of matchup in which we’re all likely to finally notice the talent deficiency the Nuggets have overcome for quite some time. the Blazers, the 6-foot-10 forward put up 18.8 points while shooting 53% from the field. averaged 11.4 points per game in 19 games. who has taken a big leap forward this year and has provided additional scoring for Denver in Murray’s absence. Michael Porter Jr.īridges and Jae Crowder will split time guarding Porter Jr. Wright breaks down the matchup into three parts, the battle of the bigs between Deandre Ayton and Jokić, how Denver handles the Suns’ backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul and the matchup between wings Mikal Bridges vs. Here is a look at what others around the basketball world are predicting heading into this second round matchup.
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