Initial thoughts from the Nuggets’ 125-107 win over the Phoenix Suns in the second round of their Western Conference playoff series:
1. Playoff Murray = Legend Murray? After his trey off transition with 6:57 left in the game pushed the Nuggets lead to 112-95, when the Suns called timeout to calm the water, Murray cupped his ears to the crowd, pro-wrestling style, and pointed to the Ball Arena floor with a message: “I run this.” The message was clear — when the Blue Arrow gets rolling like this, it’s not just “our house.” It’s “his house.” And Playoff Murray keeps adding more chapters to a legend that’s growing by the week.
2. Make the Suns play defense? They couldn’t. When Nuggets coach Michael Malone was asked a few days ago about defending a multi-faceted Phoenix offense, he flipped the premise on its head. His logic: The best way to put one of the best scoring attacks in the NBA off its game? Make them have to defend you — and think about defending you. It didn’t take long for the hosts to get inside the Suns’ heads and stay there, especially from beyond the arc. Malone’s reasoning was sound: Coming into Saturday, Phoenix ranked 12th out of 16 NBA postseason teams in defensive efficiency (116.3 points allowed per 100 possessions).
3. Gordon goes off. Given how one-sided the Suns-Nuggets semifinal series was here two years ago, Saturday’s redemption felt sweet on several fronts. But among the sweetest was for Denver forward Aaron Gordon, who was a non-factor against Phoenix during that infamous Suns sweep, averaging just 9.0 points and 3.8 boards while shooting 41% from the floor. During Game 1? Different story. The former Arizona star drained some massive shots, especially in the second half, en route to a 23-point, six-rebound evening.
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