The Phoenix Suns got the job done in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Denver Nuggets. Will the Suns go back to back? Or will the Nuggets go to Mile High City with the series tied? Check out our preview of this game below.
The Nuggets lost control in Game 1, as they failed to steal a game in Phoenix Tuesday night, losing to the Suns to the tune of a 122-105 score. Denver was led by Nikola Jokic, as the Serbian scored 22 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the floor. The Nuggets were fun to watch in that game until they suddenly got blown to bits by a huge Phoenix run in the third quarter, where the Nuggets were outscored, 31-21. Denver head coach Mike Malone said after the game that he wants his team to be more physical going forward, as the Nuggets look to contain Phoenix’s scorers, who had their way in the series opener. The Nuggets only had six free-throw attempts in Game 1, while the Suns went 17 of 20 from the foul line. The free-throw disparity should definitely alarm the Nuggets, who are averaging 21.7 free-throw attempts per game in the playoffs.
The Nuggets are 4-2 against the spread in their last six games overall.
The Suns keep on rolling. Working as a five-point favorite in Game 1, the Suns easily covered the spread thanks to an all-around performance by their top guys. Chris Paul recorded his first double-double of this postseason with 21 points and 11 assists to go with six rebounds, while Miles Bridges led the team with 23 points with four 3-pointers. Deandre Ayton was a problem for Denver, as he had 20 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 9 of 13 from the field, as the Nuggets didn’t have an answer for him. It helped Ayton a lot that the Suns were hitting their outside shots, leaving him to deal with a looser Denver interior defense. The Suns shot 13 of 34 from deep. The challenge for them is to keep that accuracy from long distance up, as they are shooting just 36.2 percent from the 3-point region, so far in the playoffs.
The Suns are 5-1-1 against the spread in their last seven games after a straight-up win.
