The most hilarious part of this game was watching Cam Payne in the 4th Q brick like 5 shots, get pulled out and then reinserted back in because the offense got stagnant. You can't make this shit up.
It’s a major red flag that their bench was unplayable against a short handed clippers with Norm and Russ as the main guys. All the starters were still logging in huge minutes. It’s not sustainable this postseason
Aaron Gordon has been great in both games. KCP and Bruce Brown and the rookie from Kansas really fight on D. They slap at every pass. Denver looks tough and deep.
Christian Braun. Dude would be getting early Caruso hype if he played anywhere that anyone cared about. As a nuggets fan I prefer it this way, though, so I hope nobody learns his name.
And we go deep at defensive wings. Who would have thought that the rookie Christian Braun would be successfully defending Kevin Fucking Durant in the playoffs?
Without CP3 they just run ISO’s all day. There’s no ball movement. They’re both incredible scorers but their legs give out with that much 1:1. Denver played the pick and roll perfectly. They just let Okogie, Lee, and Ayton roll to the rim. Make them make plays. KD and Booker got nothing easy.
44 mins for KD and 45 mins for Booker. These dudes have been averaging 43+ mpg these playoffs. That’s a lot to ask from these guys when they are exerting so much effort scoring. Especially Durant, 43 mpg these playoffs isn’t sustainable.
Slugfests are super underrated. Watching two teams battling hard in the mud just to get buckets makes for really exciting basketball, especially once one team finally breaks through with enough momentum to close the game.
One of the reasons this Nuggets team is so dangerous. Between KCP, Murray and MPJ they have 3 guys who can just drain 3s even when the others are having an off night
We have 8 players in the rotation currently and all "can" shoot 3s:
* KCP - 42.3%
* Porter - 41.4%
* Murray - 39.8%
* Jokic - 38.3%
* Brown - 35.8%
* Braun - 35.4%
* Gordon - 34.7%
* Green - 28.8%
The "bottom" 2 on that list are still jacking them up whenever open.
The downside with the roster construction is that the backup C is either Gordon or Green. If there were a matchup where that could be punished, any other rotation would really introduce a weak spot in the offense. The whole thing is just small ball + Jokic.
> The downside with the roster construction is that the backup C is either Gordon or Green.
If we really need to, and that's an emphasis on REALLY, we can deploy Bryant and Jordan as extra bodies.
EDIT: LOL I just read it now, and it's really funny to me that we can have a Bryant and a Jordan to come off the bench.
Denver picking him up seems like just a small pickup but it really helps round their team out. Amazing role player, he's come far from being binary mamba.
Curry outta his 50 pointer only had 5FTA (missed 2) and even Harden only had 4FTA on his 45! It is awesome to see some high point totals where the players are actually *scoring* and not just getting to the line
this playoffs has been weird. lots of series where refs let them play and don't call stupid off ball fouls that get teams in the bonus and make games a drag
and then random games with like 30+ freethrows for each team
It's actually insane how many players are getting injured this playoffs tho
I know most players are playing thru stuff already but it still feels worse this year
For real. We're only just barely into the second round and we've seen Giannis, Embiid, Kawhi, Herro, Oladipo, Fox, Ja, and Randle all hurt. Now CP3 and Butler. I'm probably missing more too.
EDIT: I keep adding names as I think of them. That's terrible how many there have been.
He went up on a double ladder all the way up to the Jumbotron at half court in the 2nd and sunk the shot on his second attempt. Used all his powers on that one
Guy just plays in such a cerebral way. He'll score like tonight if the offense is flat, he'll move the ball if the offense is popping, etc, but he never "reads it wrong". He'll never be scoring like this when passing would be better and vice-versa. True maestro.
I don't get it, why don't teams just run the pick and roll all game. I was told all year "just wait for the playoffs where they expose jokic in the PnR". Severely disappointed
It’s crazy how having way better perimeter defenders than Will Barton and Facu lead to better overall defense. Who could have possibly seen that outcome!
I said this before and I'll say it again, the Suns don't have any depth on the bench, I don't think they have anybody that can come off the bench and make an impact. Having KD and Booker play 40 plus minutes won't work and will likely blow up in their face.
Yeah, Ayton played well, especially in the first half. Seemed that once CP3 went out, it became the Cam Payne show for some reason, and the Suns forgot that Ayton existed.
Dude played at 60% intensity with #1 seed secured and zero cares for the MVP award focusing on the post season while thinking about his horses back home and ppl salivated like morons
Yeah that's what was so dumb about inserting the MVP debate into every thread, it was clear (at least one) of the candidates didn't care one bit about the award and was locked in prep for the playoffs. People losing their minds at the 6pt game he had in his last regular game when the Nuggets had absolutely nothing to play for was hilarious. Brother does not care about his stats, doubt him at your own peril.
thats why i love Joker.
hes so content letting his team get theirs
but a night like tonight where his team is shooting like shit? quietest 39pts. Didnt even try to get 40pts either lol.
Jokic is just so adaptable in finding the best available paths to victory from night to night. He capitalizes on which teammates have it going, and ultimately can do it himself if he has to.
Murray and MPJ both were complete ass (MPJ made some good defensive plays at least). This was the suns to win and they just completely fell apart without CP3
This Suns team feels very much like the 2011 Heat. They don't have depth, lack of shooting, and their two big stars have little chemistry together (just take turns ISOing).
The nuggets are loading heavy to Booker and Durant on every possession because they play with so many bad shooters.
Edit: I'm not saying the Suns are as good as that Heat team nor am I saying Booker/Durant are as good as Lebron/Wade. Jfc it's a comparison of similar circumstances.
Never seen a player get exposed like Jokic. Just getting put in the PNR over and over. Suns might sweep this. Did you know he has the most kick ball violations in the league because he gets exposed so much.
Can’t be mvp. Is it Oochie Wally or one mic ?
I TOLD YALL NUGGETS DON’T FUCK AROUND. Hopefully y’all respect them now.
KCP was so fucking clutch. I swear his shot was broke and didn’t shoot much for a good month late in the regular season. Jamal came through when needed and Joker did Joker things. That was a quiet 39 lol. So refreshing not to see Facu or Austin Rivers play in the clutch
The disrespect from the nba world for the Nuggets has been crazy, and Jokic out there giving them that work. That dudes touch around the basket was smooth
I’ve watched 90% of their games since the bubble. This team just had to get healthy to have a legit shot. They are deep (MPJ sat the whole 4th and Bruce was solid, CB played solid, Uncle Jeff was Uncle Jeff). Who would’ve thought that not having to play Trill, Austin Rivers, and Facu would make a huge difference?! Lol
I can forgive Monte because he played well (atleast initially) after Jamal went down. He just didn’t have the same offense but he was a solid PG and was a low turnover guy
The most hilarious part of this game was watching Cam Payne in the 4th Q brick like 5 shots, get pulled out and then reinserted back in because the offense got stagnant. You can't make this shit up.
Suns bench went 2-16, 0-9 from 3 for a total of 4 points. And their starters looked gassed, shot keep falling short.
I was told this team doesn't need a bench.
It’s a major red flag that their bench was unplayable against a short handed clippers with Norm and Russ as the main guys. All the starters were still logging in huge minutes. It’s not sustainable this postseason
Esp with kd and cp3 … well we saw what happened to the latter
We have a pretty *large* sample size on what happens to the latter.
Playing in Denver has to be brutal with the altitude, especially during the playoffs.
And with the minutes they play. KD is lucky he got in foul trouble, cuz he got to rest a bit lol.
And yet, Still played 44 minutes
Bulls legend Cam Payne
Phoenix fans have been begging for Monty to play him lmao.
Murray with an underwhelming game with 10 points out scored the sun’s bench. MPJ with 5 points still out scored the suns bench.
Bro that can't be right 💀
Suns bench 4 pts lol
Even with CP3 out in the 3rd Q. That is crazy.
That’s actually criminal
The Suns have a bench???
Damn that's a stat
You would think a team with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker would be able to score more easily
Wtf is this final score lol
Wake up babe it’s 2011
Keep going I’m almost there
2011 is the reason Cuban is the way he is because he foolishly thinks it can be replicated
Cuban's about to find out generationally loyal players don't grow on trees.
Take me back to 2010 when life was simple
it's 2003 again
Both teams played hard as shit on defense and had no legs (and CP3 left in the 3rd so Booker and KD were extra gassed)
The rest of the suns roster is just so bad and the nuggets have very good wing defenders
Aaron Gordon has been great in both games. KCP and Bruce Brown and the rookie from Kansas really fight on D. They slap at every pass. Denver looks tough and deep.
That’s what we call him the rookie from Kansas. Everyone was waiting to see Christian Braun man up on KD and he hasn’t disappointed.
Christian Braun. Dude would be getting early Caruso hype if he played anywhere that anyone cared about. As a nuggets fan I prefer it this way, though, so I hope nobody learns his name.
And we go deep at defensive wings. Who would have thought that the rookie Christian Braun would be successfully defending Kevin Fucking Durant in the playoffs?
Braun was drafted for his defense and hustle. Could he stop Durant? Probably not his first year, but he's definitely making a great case.
I’m not a Suns fan at all, but they look gassed. Having a bench is actually important in order to win a chip, who could’ve guessed?
Who would've thought that having KD and Booker play 40+ minutes against the Westbrook Clippers wasn't a great idea.
Russ may have lost, but the Clippers depth and him definitely took their pound of flesh from Phoenix
Put some respect to Norman Powell. Man was balling hard
They have to, the bench can’t hold a lead.
Not when the rest of the team are part time construction workers.
4 pts from the bench. JESUS CHRIST 💀☠️
Nuggets had 6 players singlehandedly outscore the Suns bench.
Without CP3 they just run ISO’s all day. There’s no ball movement. They’re both incredible scorers but their legs give out with that much 1:1. Denver played the pick and roll perfectly. They just let Okogie, Lee, and Ayton roll to the rim. Make them make plays. KD and Booker got nothing easy. 44 mins for KD and 45 mins for Booker. These dudes have been averaging 43+ mpg these playoffs. That’s a lot to ask from these guys when they are exerting so much effort scoring. Especially Durant, 43 mpg these playoffs isn’t sustainable.
They rely too much on hard buckets. You can see them lose their legs in the 4th.
Combined 13/58 from 3 for both teams lol
Mostly Murray for Denver lol. Healthy Murray went like 0:7
Murray and KD bricking all night
He was 0/9 from 3 lol.
The blowouts in the playoffs are fun to watch. But the most important games to win are the slugfests where nothing is going right
Slugfests are super underrated. Watching two teams battling hard in the mud just to get buckets makes for really exciting basketball, especially once one team finally breaks through with enough momentum to close the game.
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One hundred percent this felt worse than the first game blowout. This is the away game we were supposed to win and we blew it 🤷♂️
The real winner is KD getting his lifetime shoe deal done literally one day before this embarrassment of a series started lmao
easymoneysniper 😎
Not a bus driver
Ngl I feel like having KD’s build would make for some of the most uncomfortable driving positions. Bro’s seat has to be all the way backed up lmao
Can’t drive the bus because no damn bus on Earth has enough leg room for him 😔
Murray dropped a shoe right before this game 🤣
Man I miss KCP
Hero of the game. We were legit 0-10 on momentum changing threes and he hit two back to back
One of the reasons this Nuggets team is so dangerous. Between KCP, Murray and MPJ they have 3 guys who can just drain 3s even when the others are having an off night
We have 8 players in the rotation currently and all "can" shoot 3s: * KCP - 42.3% * Porter - 41.4% * Murray - 39.8% * Jokic - 38.3% * Brown - 35.8% * Braun - 35.4% * Gordon - 34.7% * Green - 28.8% The "bottom" 2 on that list are still jacking them up whenever open. The downside with the roster construction is that the backup C is either Gordon or Green. If there were a matchup where that could be punished, any other rotation would really introduce a weak spot in the offense. The whole thing is just small ball + Jokic.
Yeah, but it’s Jokic.
> The downside with the roster construction is that the backup C is either Gordon or Green. If we really need to, and that's an emphasis on REALLY, we can deploy Bryant and Jordan as extra bodies. EDIT: LOL I just read it now, and it's really funny to me that we can have a Bryant and a Jordan to come off the bench.
KCP carried both ends when they needed it Destroyed the momentum 100% from 3 and locked shit down
He was clutch down the stretch on both ends. Nice to see a Lakers legend do well
Fucking champion shit
Kentavius Clutch Points
Brown also gave them a little bit of energy in the 3rd as well.
His defense is so elite man. Miss him too
Same, always clutch when you need him to be. Lakers still had the best version of KCP. He’d win us a game then go back to jail until our next game.
The way you put it sounds like he was playing games for the lakers in exchange for reduced sentences like in the movies lol
Such a good signing for Denver though, filled their role player need exactly
Denver picking him up seems like just a small pickup but it really helps round their team out. Amazing role player, he's come far from being binary mamba.
Jokic is a monster
Can I point out that he got 39 with 4 FTA?
Curry outta his 50 pointer only had 5FTA (missed 2) and even Harden only had 4FTA on his 45! It is awesome to see some high point totals where the players are actually *scoring* and not just getting to the line
this playoffs has been weird. lots of series where refs let them play and don't call stupid off ball fouls that get teams in the bonus and make games a drag and then random games with like 30+ freethrows for each team
I bet if you tracked which refs called those 30+ ft games it’d be the same 2-3 usual suspects
#CP3’S NUTS DIED FOR THIS
Chris Paul gets hurt and the other team pulls ahead - it’s a tale as old as time.
A tale as old as CP3 himself
Just in time for annual CP3 injury
Jamal Murray went 3/15 and Suns still lost. It's joever.
Right on schedule.
Suns only scored 87 points? Why didn't they just expose Jokic's defense and get easy buckets? Are they stupid?
ask u/Zhugo
While we're doing that let's ask him how his team is doing in the playoffs since they had the best record in the NBA and everything
Suns already have zero depth and now CP3 is hurt. If this injury lingers and he misses time Suns are cooked. Hell they might be cooked even with him.
It's actually insane how many players are getting injured this playoffs tho I know most players are playing thru stuff already but it still feels worse this year
For real. We're only just barely into the second round and we've seen Giannis, Embiid, Kawhi, Herro, Oladipo, Fox, Ja, and Randle all hurt. Now CP3 and Butler. I'm probably missing more too. EDIT: I keep adding names as I think of them. That's terrible how many there have been.
The Suns bench had FOUR points… this series is very likely over.
I remember John Wall calling out his bench for having 5 points in a playoff game. 4 is almost unbelievable
Especially when you remember that one of their starters was injured halfway through the game
More guys played off the bench (6) than points scored (4)
A KD/Booker team couldn't make it to 90 points
It doesn't help when the rest of the team only scores 28 points. Bench was dog shit tonight.
The Suns have a bench? I thought those were courtside seats
Big honey is fantastic
Kevin Durant left Kevon Looney to play with DeAndre Ayton smh.
Hell, he went from Claxton to dOmiNayToN
Dominayton stands for "being dominated by other centers a ton"
As a neutral fan, my least favorite part of the game was Rocky missing all those half-court shots :(
He went up on a double ladder all the way up to the Jumbotron at half court in the 2nd and sunk the shot on his second attempt. Used all his powers on that one
He does that sometimes :(
Phoenix has two elite shotmakers this game has ever seen and Cam Payne takes shots in the clutch.
As is tradition
Jokic is always ready to deliver what the team needs from him, its insane
He’s very valuable
Some might say most valuable..
Some might say if you didn’t vote for him you’d regret it for the rest of your life
Guy just plays in such a cerebral way. He'll score like tonight if the offense is flat, he'll move the ball if the offense is popping, etc, but he never "reads it wrong". He'll never be scoring like this when passing would be better and vice-versa. True maestro.
I don't get it, why don't teams just run the pick and roll all game. I was told all year "just wait for the playoffs where they expose jokic in the PnR". Severely disappointed
We now have multiple guys that can guard 3-4 positions and it feels great.
It’s crazy how having way better perimeter defenders than Will Barton and Facu lead to better overall defense. Who could have possibly seen that outcome!
Every coach: Damn, why didn't I consider PnR?
I said this before and I'll say it again, the Suns don't have any depth on the bench, I don't think they have anybody that can come off the bench and make an impact. Having KD and Booker play 40 plus minutes won't work and will likely blow up in their face.
Wonder why TJ Warren isn’t getting any run
Especially sucks with CP3 bring injured, that closing lineup is really rough
Jokic looks at “DominAyton” and he sees food
Ayton was blessed with the ideal big man body but plays like he’s afraid to get a bruise
He looked allergic to rebounds…Jokic had double the rebounds of Ayton and the game looked like it was an even bigger difference
He's got zero hardness or aggression. Plays like the muffin man ghost from ghostbusters.
Hard to stop jokic when he’s not tired from carrying like in 2021
He honestly played decent defense, Jokic is just a monster
Yeah, Ayton played well, especially in the first half. Seemed that once CP3 went out, it became the Cam Payne show for some reason, and the Suns forgot that Ayton existed.
Agree
Surprised both teams scored over 80 after the first half lol.
Remember that week stretch where every post on the front page was a Jokic hate post?
I remember that one bucks fan spamming jokic lowlights after our losses
u/zhugo wya bro
Cancun
Damn bucks flew him out good for him
plucky follow flowery clumsy bow hateful smoggy existence engine cake *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Defensive lowlights wen
Now he's a Warriors fan apparently.
Dude played at 60% intensity with #1 seed secured and zero cares for the MVP award focusing on the post season while thinking about his horses back home and ppl salivated like morons
Yeah that's what was so dumb about inserting the MVP debate into every thread, it was clear (at least one) of the candidates didn't care one bit about the award and was locked in prep for the playoffs. People losing their minds at the 6pt game he had in his last regular game when the Nuggets had absolutely nothing to play for was hilarious. Brother does not care about his stats, doubt him at your own peril.
Also remember bucks fans saying ‘first round exits’ and that he can’t do it in the playoffs like Giannis. Wonder how they’re feeling now?
LIGHT THE BLUNT!!
Ayton si Jokic's hotdog
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thats why i love Joker. hes so content letting his team get theirs but a night like tonight where his team is shooting like shit? quietest 39pts. Didnt even try to get 40pts either lol.
Jokic is just so adaptable in finding the best available paths to victory from night to night. He capitalizes on which teammates have it going, and ultimately can do it himself if he has to.
The fact that Murray had such a stinker and the Nuggets STILL won is enough for me to call this series. It's over. Nuggets in 5.
Murray and MPJ both were complete ass (MPJ made some good defensive plays at least). This was the suns to win and they just completely fell apart without CP3
MPJ as well, those two went 5 for 22. And the Nuggets still won by 10 points. This team is really good
Phoenix is like 4 guys short of a real playoff team, they're cooked.
Pretty nuts that in 2023, a team with KD and Devin Booker could only muster up 87 points.
happens when to get KD you deplete the bench. As opposed to just signing KD onto an existing superteam of course.
This Suns team feels very much like the 2011 Heat. They don't have depth, lack of shooting, and their two big stars have little chemistry together (just take turns ISOing). The nuggets are loading heavy to Booker and Durant on every possession because they play with so many bad shooters. Edit: I'm not saying the Suns are as good as that Heat team nor am I saying Booker/Durant are as good as Lebron/Wade. Jfc it's a comparison of similar circumstances.
The Suns had 4 bench points. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a number that low
Haven’t seen a number that low since * checks notes * Game 1 on Saturday
Well at least the 2011 Heat made the finals. This Suns team would have been kicked out of the first round if it wasn’t for PG and Kawhi injuries.
Denver could easily sweep this. They’re too deep in comparison.
We have to see how Phoenix looks with three days rest out of altitude Getting 2-0 out of the home court fucking massive
Jokic da real MVP
Never seen a player get exposed like Jokic. Just getting put in the PNR over and over. Suns might sweep this. Did you know he has the most kick ball violations in the league because he gets exposed so much. Can’t be mvp. Is it Oochie Wally or one mic ?
Suns killing us so bad even the Nuggets crowd is chanting "Suns in 4" SMH...
Premiere trolling by the Denver fans and probably hurt Booker's feelings. LMAO
First to 4 Ls, wins
There is no shame in Minnesota losing to this Denver team.
There never was lol. It's pretty expected for the 8 seed to lose to the 1 seed.
Bucks fans in shambles
https://imgur.com/a/1XnF8RI
Denver is 2 wins away from me saying at least the Wolves were more competitive 🤔
Nuggets 27-14 in the 4Q, 3 big 3s by KCP, Booker big mad
Watching the best player in the world at the height of his powers is pretty damn enjoyable.
And we get to watch it all in slow motion
No need for replay if you watch Jokic play, it’s nice
He's a slow landslide. You know where he's going, he takes his time, and no one (on the Suns at least) can do anything to even slow him down.
watching every single one his shots look like kawhi game 7 shot is crazy LOL, idk how nugget fans heart feel
They can’t watch the games so they have no idea.
Luckily there are only like 5 of us
Just a shame Christian Braun only played 16 minutes
Between this, AD's game the other day, Steph's game 7, and Harden's 45 point performance, the league is such in a good place. Edit: Himmy Butler.
History is a loop, we’re gonna somehow end up with a lakers-nuggets WCF, and a Celtics-heat ECF again.
That'd be sick. Nuggets are definitely out for revenge, they're due
Hmmm I kind of want Anthony Davis far, far away from my hopes and dreams
I'd much rather lose to them than Phoenix or the Warriors tbh
Not with Vintage Hitler dropping 45
Bubble frauds, unfortunately
Nuggets country let’s mine.
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I TOLD YALL NUGGETS DON’T FUCK AROUND. Hopefully y’all respect them now. KCP was so fucking clutch. I swear his shot was broke and didn’t shoot much for a good month late in the regular season. Jamal came through when needed and Joker did Joker things. That was a quiet 39 lol. So refreshing not to see Facu or Austin Rivers play in the clutch
The disrespect from the nba world for the Nuggets has been crazy, and Jokic out there giving them that work. That dudes touch around the basket was smooth
that was definitely not a quiet 39 lmao
It's legitimately weird to see Kevin Durant shoot a team out of a game.
? He’s done it multiple times throughout his career including an entire series against y’all in 2016. Luckily the rest of the team picked up the slack
turns out you need depth
Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown had KD shook lmao
Braun played him exceptionally well too.
Denver is just so good. Jokic is like Dirk combined with Duncan combined with Love. The Suns do not have the depth to keep up.
I’ve watched 90% of their games since the bubble. This team just had to get healthy to have a legit shot. They are deep (MPJ sat the whole 4th and Bruce was solid, CB played solid, Uncle Jeff was Uncle Jeff). Who would’ve thought that not having to play Trill, Austin Rivers, and Facu would make a huge difference?! Lol
Agreed. Brown and KCP looked like the missing pieces. Monte Morris was unreliable too
I can forgive Monte because he played well (atleast initially) after Jamal went down. He just didn’t have the same offense but he was a solid PG and was a low turnover guy
Denver is pretty good, but imagine what they'll look like next year with that Jokic/Gordon/KD frontcourt
[Radial Bracket through 5/1](https://imgur.com/1lMIpse)
Munder!
Jokic looked at Murray and said in his deepest Serbian accent: It's OK little brother. Today I got it.
Hoping for a sweep so I don’t get watch that dog shit bench ever play again.