Nuggets' Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic completely disrespect the Suns in Game 1
That was unacceptable.
The Suns' 125-107 loss to the Nuggets in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal playoff series was so lopsided that it calls into question why anyone ever thought Phoenix was a legitimate contender to win an NBA title this season.
A measure of caution is appropriate. That was just one game in a best-of-seven series. And the Suns could come out so hot in Game 2 on Monday that it erases all memory of this debacle.
But what reason would anyone have to believe that?
Blame the game plan? Devin Booker had to work for everything. The box score will show 27 points on 10-for-19 shooting. The film will show a guy who had a horrible time finding his shot against Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Blame the ballhandlers? The Suns had more turnovers than a bakery, led by Kevin Durant (7). The Suns had 16 giveaways compared to just 20 assists.
Blame everybody but Devin and Kevin? Chris Paul scored 11. Deandre Ayton had 14. Nobody else on the roster even scored in double digits.
Blame the cold spell in the second quarter? The Suns lost that period 37-19. The Suns were up by a point after the first quarter. They were down 17 by halftime. The game was never close afterward.
Blame the cold spell in the fourth quarter? The Suns gave up a 14-0 run over more than 4 minutes during what should have been their last push to try to win the game.
But mostly, blame the Nuggets. They showed up and outplayed the Suns on every horizon.
That might have been just one game, but it sure felt like more than that.
It felt like Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon letting the world know that they don’t respect the Suns. At all.
For a team with title aspirations, this kind of effort was completely unacceptable.
Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic of Nuggets embarrass the Suns in Game 1
