Nuggets WIN Game 1 of Western Conference semifinals vs. Suns 125-107, behind 34 points from Murray
Nuggets WIN Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals vs. Suns, as Jamal Murray’s team-leading 34 points propel Denver to a 125-107 win at home
The Nuggets got off to a strong start in the Western Conference Semifinals by defending home court Saturday night by beating the visiting Suns 125-107.
Phoenix led by one after the first quarter, but was defeated 37–19 in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing by 17.
Leading 106-95 with 7:40 left, the Nuggets went on a 14-0 run to put the game aside. Denver led by as many as 25 and improved to 38-7 at home during the regular season and playoffs.
Jamal Murray’s 34 points led the way for Denver, while MVP candidate Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 19 rebounds and five assists and Aaron Gordon added 23.
For the Suns, Kevin Durant had an extremely efficient 29 points on 12-19 shooting, while Devin Booker also had 27.
But only two other players on the team – Chris Paul (11 points) and Deandre Ayton (14) reached double-digit points as the team’s razor-thin depth was exposed.
This is a different kind of playoff series than two years ago when the Suns won the Nuggets in the second round. At the time, Denver was without Murray after tearing his ACL.
Now healthy, Murray is showing off his form for 2020 in the NBA bubble that helped Denver advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Jamal Murray led all scorers with 34 points and added nine assists for good measure
Kevin Durant had an ultra-efficient 29 points, but it wasn’t enough for his team to win
Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 19 rebounds and five assists for the Nuggets in their home win
And Devi Booker scored 27 points along with eight assists in a strong performance on the road
Meanwhile, the Suns look a bit more vulnerable than they did in their final round in 2021.
Phoenix went 8-0 with Durant after joining the team via trade from the Nets (and missed three weeks with an injury), but hasn’t been tested much so far.
They defeated the Clippers in five games in the first round, but Paul George did not play at all and Kawhi Leonard sat out the final three games of the series with a knee injury.
He was later found to have a torn meniscus.
Game 2 is back in Denver on Monday before the series moves to Phoenix.