Chris Paul's injury looms large but Suns have multiple concerns down 0-2 against Nuggets
Chris Paul limped into the locker room with a groin injury midway through the third quarter as the Phoenix Suns were clinging to a four-point lead.
The Suns had a slim three-point advantage entering the fourth quarter, but without their floor general their offense went cold as they were outscored 27-14 in the final period in the 97-87 Game 2 to loss to the Denver Nuggets.
“He couldn’t push off of it or anything,” Suns coach Monty Williams said of Paul, who was officially ruled out in the fourth quarter. “We’re not quite sure what it is right now but it seems to be something in the groin area.”
Paul's status for Game 3 is in doubt but Phoenix has more problems than Paul’s tender groin.
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The Suns lost by double digits to a Nuggets team when Jamal Murray shot 3 for 15 from the floor, including 0 for 9 from three-point range. Murray had a team-best 34 points in Denver’s Game 1 win, but he had a rough shooting night in Game 2. Still, the Nuggets didn’t need Murray’s scoring output to extend their series lead.
Denver showed Monday that they can beat the Suns in a variety of different ways: gritty defense, timely plays from role players and a heavy dose of center Nikola Jokic, for whom the Suns have no answer.
“My team needed me to be aggressive. They were guarding me one-on-one. I just tried to score,” Jokic told reporters postgame. “It was that kind of game.”
The two-time MVP scored a game-high 39 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help the Nuggets get out to a 2-0 series lead. He’s the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in three consecutive postseason games.
“I marvel at his greatness, I marvel at his consistency, his excellence, his ability to find so many different ways to beat you – whether it’s scoring, rebound or playmaking,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Jokic. “He’s not afraid of the moment.”
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Jokic isn’t afraid of the moment, and it's apparent Suns big men Deandre Ayton, Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale can’t contain him.
The Suns are now facing a 0-2 deficit as they prepare to play back home at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. Paul’s health status looms large, but the Suns have to figure how they can beat a Nuggets team that’s demonstrated through two games that they can win in a variety of different ways, most notably with their two-time MVP.
“The playoffs (are) a lot. A lot comes with this, so you just have to embrace it. Embrace the challenge, embrace the opportunity that we have right now – being down 0-2,” Devin Booker said following the game. “Get back home (and) protect our home court and go from there.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Paul's injury just one of the Suns' concerns against Nuggets
