Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets NBA playoffs news, notes
Keep track of the latest news and notes for the Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets semifinal NBA Playoffs series.
Suns vs. Nuggets Game 6 information
The Phoenix Suns face elimination Thursday night, down 3-2 to the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference semifinal NBA Playoff series. The game tips off at 7 p..m., at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Game 6 will be televised on ESPN.
The No. 4-seeded Suns are coming off a 118-102 loss in Game 5 Tuesday, in which the No. 1-seeded Nuggets pulled away in the third quarter and never looked back.
Phoenix continues to search for an answer to slowing down two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, and the job won't get easier Thursday, as center Deandre Ayton has been ruled out of Game 6 with a rib injury suffered in Game 5. Point guard Chris Paul still is out with a left groin strain.
If Phoenix can tie the series, Game 7 will be on Sunday.
.The winner of this series will advance to the Western Conference finals to play the winner of the other semifinal series, between the No. 6-seed Golden State Warriors and No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers lead that series 3-2.
The winner of the Suns-Nuggets series will have homecourt advantage in the Western Conference finals.
More: Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton out for Game 6 with rib contusion, sources say
Can Suns win without Deandre Ayton?
Ayton has come under a lot of criticism in this Nuggets series by fans who feel he hasn't bringing enough energy and fight to the floor, especially when it comes to slowing down Jokic. Granted, that's no easy task, but at least one writer laid out the case for why the Suns might do better without Ayton starting.
The writer, Bleacher Report's Andy Baily, made the argument in his story after the Suns' 118-102 loss to the Nuggets at Ball Arena in Game 5 on Tuesday night, a story with the headline: "Deandre Ayton is costing the Phoenix Suns, and the solution is obvious." Bailey turned to stats to make his argument. Here's a link below wiht more:
More: Phoenix Suns' Nikola Jokic problem: Is more Jock Landale, less Deandre Ayton the answer?
But not so fast ...
The Republic's Greg Moore had another take on Ayton after Game 5. He wrote about why the Suns needed Ayton to come through if they were to prevail over Denver.
"He needs two good games. Two angry, snarling, foaming-at-the-mouth, hungry dog performances. About 60 good minutes of all-out energy and focus to help the Suns advance,'' Moore wrote after Game 5 but before it was known Ayton would miss Game 6.
Read more of Moore's take on Ayton at the link below:
More: Deandre Ayton needs to show heart to save the Phoenix Suns
Suns owner Mat Ishbia at Ball Arena
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia was spotted at Ball Arena in Denver ahead of Tuesday's Game 5, watching his team warm up prior to the 7 p.m. tip.
Ishbia found himself part of the story in Game 4 when he had an exchange with Nuggets star Nikola Jokic after the ball went out of bounds near Ishbia's courtside seats at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Jokic was fined $25,000 by the NBA for a forearm shove he gave to Ishbia, which sent the owner back into his seat, but was not suspended. He was given an unsportsmanlike technical foul.
Ishbia posted a tweet saying Jokic shouldn't be fined or suspended for the exchange.
Suns vs. Nuggets Game 5 information
The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets will face off in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal NBA Playoff series Tuesday at 7 p..m., at Ball Arena in Denver.
The game will be televised on TNT.
The No. 4-seeded Suns are coming off a 129-124 win in Game 4 Sunday that tied the series at 2-2 with the No. 1-seeded Nuggets. Game 6 will be back in Phoenix on Thursday.
.The winner of this series will advance to the Western Conference finals to play the winner of the other semifinal series, between the No. 6-seed Golden State Warriors and No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers lead that series 3-1.
The winner of the Suns-Nuggets series will have homecourt advantage in the Western Conference finals.
More: Nikola Jokic avoids suspension, fined $25K for shoving Suns team owner Mat Ishbia in Game 4
Chris Paul out for Game 5
Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul will miss his third straight game Tuesday with a left groin strain suffered in Game 2 in Denver. Fourth-seeded Phoenix is 2-0 without him in this West semifinals series after dropping Games 1 and 2 with Paul, who went down in the third quarter of the Game 2 loss.
Paul was getting up shots after Monday's practice at Ball Arena as he has practiced the last two times the Suns have done so. He didn't practice last Wednesday or Thursday. Read more at link below:
More: Phoenix Suns playing faster with Cameron Payne in lineup as Chris Paul (groin) out Game 5
Republic's writers: What Suns must do to win Game 5
Now that the Suns have chance to take the series lead, The Arizona Republic's writers who have been covering these playoffs look ahead to what it will take to win Game 5 and return to Phoenix with a chance to close out the series at Footprint Center Thursday. Read what they say about Game 5 and what the Suns must do to win here:
More: What must Suns do to win Game 5 vs. Nuggets? Here's what The Republic's writers say
Suns vs. Nuggets Game 4 information
The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets will face off in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal NBA Playoff series Sunday at 5 p.m., at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
The game will be televised on TNT.
The No. 4-seeded Suns are coming off a 121-114 win in Game 3 Friday. The No. 1-seeded Nuggts tsill lead the series, 2-1, with Game 5 set for Tuesday back in Denver.
.The winner of this series will advance to the Western Conference finals to play the winner of the other semifinal series, between the No. 6-seed Golden State Warriors and No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers lead that series 2-1.
The winner of the Suns-Nuggets series will have homecourt advantage in the Western Conference finals.
More: Phoenix Suns update: Chris Paul out Game 4 vs. Denver Nuggets with left groin strain
Republic's writers: What Suns must do to win Game 4
Now that the Suns have secured their first win of the season, Republic writers look ahead to a critical Game 4 Sunday night in Phoenix. The Suns either will square the season at two wins apiece in the best-of-seven series, or they will be facing elimination Tuesday night in Denver down 3-1.
Breaking it down: Republic writers' thoughts on what Suns need to do in Game 4
Suns vs. Nuggets Game 3 information
The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets will face off in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal NBA Playoff series on Friday at 7 p.m., at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
The game will be televised on ESPN.
The No. 4-seeded Suns are trailing the No. 1-seeded Nuggets 2-0 and find themselves in a must-win situation. No team has come back from being down 3-0 to win an NBA playoff series. Game 4 is at 5 p.m. Sunday in Phoenix.
The winner of this series will advance to the Western Conference finals to play the winner of the other semifinal series, between the No. 6-seed Golden State Warriors and No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers. That series is tied 1-1.
The winner of the Suns-Nuggets series will have homecourt advantage in the Western Conference finals.
More: Phoenix Suns 'desperate' going into Game 3 down 2-0 to Denver Nuggets in NBA Playoffs
Adjusting without Chris Paul
The Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns have this postseason's third and fourth offensive ratings, respectively.
One of the reasons why both team offenses have gained that efficiency is through pick-and-roll plays.
Denver's offense runs through Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, and much of Phoenix's offense has its plays involving Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.
However, with Paul ruled out of Game 3 with a left groin strain suffered in Game 2, and likely out for Game 4 Sunday, it likely will fall on backup point guard Cameron Payne and star shooting guard Devin Booker to execute those plays. Read more about what they said about that in link below:
More: 'No way to really just stop it': Suns' Booker on Nuggets' Jokic, Murray in pick and roll plays
Kevin Durant: 'One possession at a time'
The Suns' Kevin Durant is taking a steady approach to Game 3, even though he hasn't found himself down 2-0 in the playoffs during his storied NBA career.
“Just try to take of business on every possession at home,” Durant said after Thursday’s practice. “One possession at a time. You can’t get everything back at once. Just having that focus and that togetherness on every possession, that’ll lead to something solid. Just got to take it literally one possession at a time and see what happens.”
Durant stands 1-3 in playoff series when his team trailed 2-0. Last season, Boston swept Brooklyn in the first round with Durant averaging 26.3 points in the four games. Read a detailed breakdown of his playoff history in similar situations in the link below.
More: Kevin Durant in rare 2-0 series hole as Phoenix Suns enter Game 3 against Denver Nuggets
Suns vs. Nuggets Game 2 information
The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets will face off in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal NBA Playoff series on Monday at 7 p.m., at Ball Arena in Denver.
The game will be televised on TNT.
The No. 1 seeded Nuggets won Game 1 on Saturday, 125-07, in a game that really didn't seem that close. The No. 4-seeded Suns will try to steal homecourt advantage in the series before heading back to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday.
The winner of this series will advance to the Western Conference finals to play the winner of the other semifinal series, between the No. 6-seed Golden State Warriors and No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers. The winner of the Suns-Nuggets series will have homecourt advantage in the Western Conference finals.
Click here for the complete series schedule.
-- Chris Coppola
Devin Booker: Team will make fixes
The Suns took Sunday to work on adjustments going into Monday's Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals series against the Nuggets. Devin Booker said the team will be ready to bounce back.
“I always believe in us," Booker said. "We've been a good team all year of digesting the game and seeing what went on and learning from it and making those corrections."
More: Devin Booker: 'I always believe in us'; Suns looking to bounce back in Game 2 vs. Nuggets
Durant looks for more 3-point shots from Suns
Phoenix shot just 7-of-23 from deep compared to Denver hitting more than double that amount, 16-of-37, in the West semifinals series opener.
The Phoenix starters combined for a meager 2-of-9, and both of those makes were from Kevin Durant (29 points) and Chris Paul (11 points).
“It looked like we had a lot of opportunities that we could’ve capitalized on. You always see that no matter (if) you win or lose games,” Durant said at Phoenix's practice on Sunday. “We just gotta do a better job of finding those options and just playing out of that. I felt like we shot the ball pretty well yesterday.
More: Kevin Durant, Suns reflect on lack of 3s in Game 1 loss, how to shoot more in Game 2
Republic's writers: What Suns must do to win Game 2
The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin, Dana Scott and Greg Moore have been covering the Suns in the playofs. Here's what they have to say about what Phoenix must do to win Monday's Game 2 vs. the Denver Nuggets.
More: What must Suns do to win Game 2 vs. Nuggets? Arizona Republic sports writers break it down
Suns vs. Nuggets Game 1 information
The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets will face off in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal NBA Playoff series on Saturday, April 29, at 5:30 p.m., at Ball Arena in Denver.
The game will be televised on TNT.
The No. 1 seeded Nuggets have the homecourt advantage in the series over the No. 4-seeded Suns.
The winner of this series will advance to the Western Conference finals.
Click here for the complete series schedule.
-- Chris Coppola
The Arizona Republic: What must Suns do to win Game 1 vs. Nuggets?
Greg Moore, Dana Scott and Duane Rankin break down what the Suns must do to win Game 1 of the series against the Nuggets with Greg Moore writing that Phoenix needs players besides Devin Booker and Kevin Durant show up for the series against Denver. Clink on link above.
What to know about Suns, what to watch for in series
If you're fairly new to following the Phoenix Suns, we have a quick primer that will help you as you follow them in the series against the Denver Nuggets (teaser: Who is that orange guy that's always in the stands at Footprint Center?)
We also have several storylines that are worth keeping an eye on in the series.
You can find it all by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns vs. Nuggets NBA playoffs news, notes
