Even if Morris moves into the Nuggets’ starting lineup, a healthy Barton would bring more firepower to Denver’s second unit. Phoenix performed slightly worse with Devin Booker on the floor than when he sat against the Lakers.īoth the Nuggets and Suns have good depth, and backup-heavy lineups could tilt the outcome of this series.Ĭameron Payne especially stepped up for Phoenix and Monte Morris especially stepped up for Denver in the last round. The question: By how much?ĭenver got outscored with Jokic on the court against Portland. Paul and Booker are the type of dynamic guards who could make hay. Yet, when ball-handlers get by him, the Nuggets run into serious trouble. Jokic usually defends at the level and does a decent job of preventing penetration given his athletic limitations. And he has gotten only more agile and sharper defensively this season.īut maybe Phoenix has the guards – Chris Paul ( if healthy) and Devin Booker – to take advantage. That said, Jokic has played six career playoff series and no opponent has really taken advantage of this supposed liability. Jokic is slow and seemingly exploitable defensively. Nuggets are 8-19 ATS in their last 27 Friday games. a team with a winning straight up record. Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite. Suns are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 Friday games. In this case, that’s not so great for Denver. Suns are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points. Ayton avoiding foul trouble will be essential. Even Jokic recently acknowledged Ayton gave him (relative) trouble. Phoenix center Deandre Ayton has the size and athleticism to match up reasonably well with Jokic. The Nuggets guard corps could also get a boost from Will Barton and P.J. They got space from the Trail Blazers paying so much attention to Jokic. That’s a big reason Denver’s rag-tag guards – Monte Morris, Austin Rivers, Facundo Campazzo and Markus Howard – played so well in the fist round. His best skill is passing, so overplaying him also brings consequences. But he can also bully smaller players in the post. He’s such a skilled ball-handler and shooter, defenders must stick with him on the perimeter. Matchup advantages practically follow him. He’s just that different from other centers. Nikola Jokic imposes his stylistic will onto nearly every game he plays. Which team will advance to the Western Conference finals and get the credit it deserves? Three things to watch in the Phoenix-Denver second-round series: The Suns and Nuggets both pulled first-round upsets as the higher seeds.
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