Suns Win Game 1 of the 2nd Round

The Suns defeat the Denver Nuggets 122 - 105.

The Suns turn the close game in to a blowout win, to kick off the Western Conference Semi Final at home.

The 1st half was as close as many pundits predicted it (and the series as a whole) to be. Both teams were tied to finish the 1st quarter and the Suns went in to half time, down 1 point.

It was a game of runs, with Denver opening up a double-digit lead to start each of the 1st 3 quarters and each time the Suns fought back. The biggest of these was the 3rd quarter, which was the decisive run of the game. After going down by 9 in the 3rd, the Suns would go on a 16-0 run, turning up their number 1 rated defence (in the playoffs), causing bad shots and turnovers from Denver, allowing them to pick up the pace of the game.

The scoring run was led by Mikal Bridges who shot 5 for 5 from the field, 2 for 2 from 3, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished 2 assists and snagged a steal. He finished the quarter with 13 points.

Also in the quarter, Booker had one of the highlight plays of the game. He pulled up from 3, hit the shot and was fouled by Michael Porter Jr. He then whipped out his game winning pose from the Clippers game last year in the Bubble.

Thanks to Ross (@canonlybeone_) for the pic.

The Suns ultimately finished the 3rd quarter on a 27-7 run, leading by 9.

Then in the 4th quarter, Chris Paul decided it was time to really squeeze the life out of the Nuggets. In the 1st 3 and a half minutes of the 4th he had 10 points, including a contested 3 over Paul Millsap. He'd continue the hot shooting, going 6 of 6 in the quarter, finishing the period with 14, along with 3 assists. To cap off Paul's scoring run to begin the quarter, Saric stole the ball, passed to Payne, who lobbed the ball to Craig for the huge alley-oop. The roof completely blew off the arena, with the crowd going crazy. By this point it was all over for the Nuggets.

Deandre Ayton had himself a brilliant game. Even though he was guarding the best offensive Centre in the league, Ayton only picked up 1 foul throughout the whole game. He held Jokic to 43% from the field for the game and Jokic didn't score after his final bucket with around 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd. On the offensive end DA had 20 points, picking up where he left off in the Lakers series, shooting 9 for 13. He used his quickness to score, including a huge dunk over Michael Porter Jr in the 1st quarter.

Overall the Suns had a greatly balanced attack, with Jae Crowder being the only starter not to score 20 points. They shot 54.1% from the field and 38.2% from 3.

Here are our top performances from the game:

Bridges - 23 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals

CP3 - 21 Points, 6 Rebounds, 11 Assists

Booker - 21 Points, 4 Rebounds, 8 Assists

Ayton - 20 Points, 10 Rebounds

Next game is Wednesday night at 2:30am, at home. Thank you for reading. Please like, comment below what you think and share on social media. To make sure you never miss a post, you can also subscribe to us.

---

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for the latest Suns news. You can also use the code 'SUNSFANSUK' on The Throwback Store to receive a 10% discount on any order you make.