DENVER — This Phoenix Suns team is in unfamiliar territory: opening a series on the road in the NBA Playoffs.
The fourth-seeded Suns are in Denver for the first two games of their second-round series against the Nuggets after eliminating the L.A. Clippers in five games. This Western Conference Semifinals matchup feels a lot bigger when you consider the star power on both teams – including two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant. The Suns and Nuggets split their regular season series but Durant only played in one of those games for Phoenix.
KD wasn’t with the Suns the last time Phoenix and Denver met in the postseason and both teams look different from their 2021 second-round series. But who could forget the “Suns in 4!” rallying cry which originated inside Ball Arena in Denver when Phoenix swept Denver in the playoffs two years ago? While fans might be viewing this as some kind of postseason rematch, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone and his guys aren’t entertaining the idea of this best-of-seven series being some kind of revenge tour.
“Two years ago seems like a lifetime ago. We have so many new players on our team that weren't here for that series and we're a different team,” Malone said during Friday’s practice. “Aside from the new players, but you know, having Jamal Murray healthy. So no, this is a new year new series. This is about us trying to win a championship and if we're going to do that, we got to beat a hell of a team in the Phoenix Suns.”
Murray was out with a torn ACL when the Nuggets and Suns met in the 2021 playoffs. Containing him and Jokic will be the biggest challenge for the Suns, but Denver’s depth could provide an edge in this series. Both franchises are in the hunt for their first NBA Championship and the Suns anticipate a hostile environment in Denver for Games 1 and 2.
“We got to establish ourselves in Game 1. It’s a lot of our first times starting a series on the road and this is a tough place to play,” Suns guard Chris Paul said. “They got a high-energy crowd so try to keep them out of the game as much as possible.”
Durant has only played 13 games with the Suns but he's a big reason why this team has been firing on all cylinders offensively in the Playoffs. The attention he draws on the floor has created space for Devin Booker to elevate his game in the postseason – he averaged 37.2 points per game in the five-game series against the Clippers. Durant averaged 28.4 points in that time and when he was asked if Phoenix fans have seen the best of him yet during practice on Friday, he reminded reporters he’s never waiting for the green light to go off in a game.
“Who knows what you might see? I think that's the beauty of my game, that I can adapt and play any style anyway and contribute to a team winning without having to make every possession about myself,” Durant said. “We'll see what happens though. Hopefully, I can go and get you one of those nights… It was a good first-round series for us to figure out who we are, get our legs up, and just keep getting better. So, I'm glad we were able to advance from that and it's a different challenge that we’re looking forward to.”
This series features intriguing storylines to follow but the matchup between Jokic and Deandre Ayton has fans buzzing. The two have met 14 times since 2018, including the playoffs, and there's a mutual respect between the two big men. Both players have described the idea of competing against one another as “fun” and Ayton has accepted the challenge of containing “The Joker” in this best-of-seven series.
“It’s a good fight out there. He’s a talented player. He’s never had the opportunity or the chance to be ‘the main guy’ if that makes any sense but I think he has the talent for that,” Jokic said. “He’s really good at being at the right spot at the right time and he’s really efficient out there so it’s gonna be fun.”
As of Friday evening, no one was listed on the injury reports for both the Suns and Nuggets. While Durant, Booker and Paul logged heavy minutes in their first round series, having every player healthy and available this time of year is a luxury the Suns aren’t taking for granted. Expect this series to be a knock-down-drag-out with both teams battling for a spot in the Western Conference Finals beginning mid-May.
“You got a lot of guys on this floor who got a chip on their shoulders who've been through a lot in this league. So, I think that naturally, regardless of what the moment is, I think that's gonna bring out that competitive fire,” Durant said. “It could be a preseason game or a regular season game, you know these guys on both teams are gonna bring it and that’s the beauty of playing at this level. You add on it being the second round, you know, Denver had a great year, and their home crowd was great all season, I think that adds to it. But, to the core of it, we got competitive guys on both teams that just enjoy playing ball and you’ll see that.”
The Suns are 12 wins away from winning their first NBA championship. Game 1 of the Suns-Nuggets series tips off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, in Denver. Game 2 is set for Monday at 7 p.m.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, e-mail Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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