At home, the Denver Nuggets won.
The Denver Nuggets and centre Nikola Jokic upset the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, 118-102, to grab a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. In Denver’s convincing victory, the two-time MVP notched a triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray both scored 19 points for the Nuggets, and Bruce Brown added 25 points off the bench.
Devin Booker, the shooting guard for the Suns, scored 28 points for Phoenix throughout the game.
The Western Conference semifinals are now within reach for the Nuggets with just one victory remaining.
Denver has a strong start in the first half.
Denver started the game off 9-0. 14 points were scored by Porter in the opening period. He made 4 out of 5 three-point attempts. The second quarter saw the Nuggets’ 15-point lead disappear after they jumped out to a quick start in the first half. At halftime, Denver only held a 52-49 advantage.
In the third quarter, the Nuggets pull away.
A 21-point lead was quickly established for the Nuggets thanks to Jokic’s timely baskets, which was similar to the opening period.
Jokic finished the third quarter with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Murray contributed in the third with seven points.
Third quarter tempers flare
Jokic and Brown made their way over to the Suns’ huddle. When Jokic made the motion, it infuriated Kevin Durant, who pushed Jokic away and was then called for a technical foul. The officials reviewed the incident on the monitor and handed Brown a technical foul for his involvement.
Devin Booker relents
Booker returned to reality after the series’ historically blazing start.
He shot only 8 for 19 from the field, which resulted in a 42% field goal percentage, yet he still led the Suns in scoring.
In Games 3 and 4, Booker combined to score 83 points on an incredibly productive 34 of his 43 field goal attempts. According to Stathead, he became the only player in NBA history to record 30 or more points with a field goal percentage of 75% or higher in back-to-back postseason games.
residence advantage
The Nuggets have notched a victory in Arizona, despite having won all three of their home games in this series and all three of their games versus Minnesota in Denver during the first round.
At the downtown Phoenix Footprint Centre, game six is on Thursday.
