Chris Paul: Phoenix Suns will 'figure it out' against No. 1-seed Denver Nuggets in semifinals

DENVER – Between the injuries and trades, this has been a season of adjustments for the Phoenix Suns.

The NBA Playoffs are about adapting and responding.

The Suns head into Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against Denver at Ball Arena with three basketball minds in Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant who are not only constantly communicating, but thinking the game and effectively doing so in the heat of battle.

“Us as a team, we keep talking about whatever we got to do to win, we’re going to do it,” Paul said. “You don’t know how (the Nuggets are) going to guard you. You don’t know what their matchups are going to be, but we’re going to figure it out.”

The fourth-seeded Suns took their first round series over the undermanned Los Angeles Clippers in five games as Paul George missed the entire series with a right knee sprain and Kawhi Leonard didn’t play after Game 2 due to a knee injury.

“We had some fourth-quarter games there,” Durant said. “We had to adjust to how they were playing us, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, they had a lot of guys that could attack downhill. So that’s testing our defense, our defensive shells, our defensive principle as a whole. Felt like it was a good first-round series for us to figure out who we are, get our legs up under us.”

Phoenix now faces the Nuggets, No. 1 seed in the West who advanced after eliminating the Timberwolves in five games. Game 1 starts at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, and will be televised on TNT.

“They’ve been one of the best teams in the NBA this year,” Booker said.

The challenges are endless against Denver starting with its dynamic inside-outside duo in two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray.

A finalist for a third straight MVP, Jokic is averaging 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and nine assists in the postseason.

“The head of the snake is Jokic,” Booker said. “He makes it easier for everybody else.”

Murray is two years removed from missing the entire 2021-22 season with a knee injury. He’s averaging a playoff career-high 27.2 points, hitting 42.9% of his 3s.

“Jamal is the guy that really gets them going,” Paul said.

Then there’s Michael Porter Jr.’s ability to stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s championship experience and Bruce Brown’s energy off the bench.

On top of that, Aaron Gordon brings athleticism and physicality at the four. Gordon was in All-Star consideration this season as he averaged 16.4 points on a career-best 56.4% shooting from the field in the regular season.

“He’s one of those guys, when you look at how they play, you look at his career at Orlando, he’s made so many adjustments and game to fit what they do here,” Suns coach Monty Williams said about the former Arizona star.

“I think that’s one of the many reasons why they’ve been so good. His ability to be physical in the paint, his screening on the ball, off the ball and he’s a good complement to Jokic when there is a postup situation. He knows when to cut, when to seal.”

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chris Paul: Phoenix Suns will 'figure it out' against top-seeded Denver Nuggets in semifinals