![]() ![]() Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet should see extended playing time in Paul's likely absence. The veteran point guard's next chance to suit up will be Friday's Game 3 against the Lakers, but the Suns are reportedly preparing for him to be out until Game 6 on May 11. Denver probably needs him close to full strength to take Game 2.Īnd the NBA's newly-crowned Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic also needs to do better in Game 2.While the Suns are treating Paul as day-to-day, an earlier report by Shams Charania of The Athletic suggested that he will miss at least one action. Malone said Porter hurt his back at some point late in the first half and didn't look quite as explosive in the aftermath. had 15 points and seven rebounds in Game 1 but most of his production came early. If you are going to foul somebody, foul them and not let them get the 'And-1.'" You can't give up eight 'And-1s' in a playoff game. "We gave up eight 'And-1s' tonight," Malone said. Any time you're in a situation where you're competing against a good, you get up for it, you rise to the occasion." Key factors for Nuggets in Game 2Īs for Denver, coach Michael Malone wants to see more toughness from his team after a "soft" effort in Game 1. "It felt good - going out there and competing against those guys," Craig said. His Phoenix teammates say the forward has been valuable in sharing the tendencies of the Nuggets' players. Highlights of Game 1 in the Western Conference semi-finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix SunsĬraig played for Denver during the previous three seasons so he knows the team well. "No matter where (Payne) threw it," Craig said. The highlight was the high-flying dunk on an alley-oop pass from Payne (video at top of page) that was the exclamation point on a big second-half run to take control in the win. He gave Phoenix big minutes off the bench in Game 1, with nine points and seven rebounds. Phoenix's surprise energiserįormer Nugget Craig provided real energy in the series opener and could be a key influence once again in Game 2. It seems the Suns are collectively basking in the glory of this first exciting postseason run in over a decade. Phoenix is getting contributions from all over the roster and four players – Mikal Bridges, Ayton, Devin Booker and Paul – all scored at least 20 points in Game 1. They've already dispatched the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and now they've got a chance to go up 2-0 on the Nuggets. The Suns are rolling in their first trip to the postseason in 11 seasons. Veteran guard Chris Paul is happy everyone is getting to see how good the Phoenix Suns are on a national stage after their Game 1 victory over the Denver Nuggets He finished with 21 points and 11 assists on Monday, becoming just the third player age 36 or older who has had at least 20 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. The 11-time All-Star has fought through a shoulder injury that he suffered in Game 1 of the first round against the Lakers. Paul's stellar fourth quarter during Monday night's win was obviously good news for the Suns. I told the guys 'This is why we fought so hard during the regular season to get home-court advantage.' I think we truly have that with our fan base here." "This crowd is crazy, it's crazy having all the fans in there," Suns guard Chris Paul said. ![]() The Suns have taken advantage of their loud home court so far, winning three of four postseason games in the desert. Though there have been some well-documented instances of poor fan behavior during the NBA's postseason, there's little doubt that a loud arena can also be a very, very fun one. Giannis refuses to give up after Bucks' Game 2 thrashing to Nets Mitchell stars as Jazz rally past ClippersĮmbiid pours in 60 as Sixers pull even with Hawks
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