![]() They have so many veteran guys like Jeff that can play the 5, the 4, can switch, he communicates well on defense. “The only young guy on the floor is Braun. “That’s the versatility that they have,” Williams said Friday of the small-ball 5 look with the bench. Throw in Green (22.5 MPG) at the 4 or the 5 coming off a great series and there are your eight guys. Rookie Christian Braun (12.7 MPG) is someone who Williams said in the past definitely does not play like a rookie and brings a lot to the table with his quickness, shooting, defense and IQ. While Denver only played eight guys, the three reserves are a prominent part of who they are, a key differentiator with Phoenix.īruce Brown (27.0 minutes per game) is a skilled guard while also being one of the league’s most unique players thanks to his screening ability and defensive versatility. His net rating in 113 minutes for the first round was 13.4. Nothing quite stuck, so at least against a Minnesota Timberwolves team that plays a big group, Denver went with Green. Denver went through offseason signing DeAndre Jordan, 2020 first-round pick Zeke Nnaji and trade deadline acquisition Thomas Bryant at backup center over the season. The first number is highly influenced by a few huge runs from the bench and a degree of separation, so don’t treat it like a legitimate change just yet, but it indicates Denver is onto something.Ī big change for that group in the playoffs has been the implementation of veteran forward Jeff Green at the 5 in a smaller look. Even stranger, it was just 3.7 when Jokic was in. In the short postseason sample size of just the 60 minutes Jokic sat, Denver’s net rating was 20.1. The net rating when he sits, however, was -10.2, an unfathomable gap of 22.7 points per 100 possessions, per NBA Stats. In the regular season, Denver outscored teams by 12.5 points per 100 possessions when Jokic was on the floor, one of the top marks in the league. But it may have stumbled onto its solution, and the Nuggets are in a fantastic position if their incredible improvement in Nikola Jokic-less minutes holds up. It has one of the best starting fives in basketball and reserves capable of swinging playoff games.Ĭoming into the postseason, though, the bench was a huge liability for Denver. 3: Freeing up Kevin Durant, Denver's largest testĭenver does not need that. If the Suns win in Game 4, it will be the first time this team has gotten to the Western Conference finals since 2006.Suns-Nuggets preview, Pt. But give credit to the Suns, they've taken care of business throughout the second round and look like the most dangerous team in the playoffs outside of the Brooklyn Nets. It's unfortunate that the Nuggets aren't healthy, because this had the potential to be a great series. That will have to change in order to extend this series. Denver came out with better energy in Game 3, but the Nuggets just couldn't slow down the Suns' starters throughout the game. ![]() The bottom line is the Nuggets are without their second-best player against a team that seems to have an endless number of weapons at their disposal, and a top-notch defense to keep the Nuggets in check. ![]() Nuggets: There isn't much more Denver can ask of Jokic, and as the minutes dwindled down in the Game 3 loss, you could see the look of disappointment on his face after putting up such an impressive stat line. ![]() This is a young team with no playoff experience prior to this year, and the worst thing that could happen is for them to let their guard down and allow the Nuggets to get comfortable in Game 4. The key for the Suns now is maintaining that edge and same level of energy going into Game 4. Including a 27-point vintage performance from Chris Paul who clearly hasn't been hindered by that shoulder injury that plagued him in the first round. ![]() Suns: Phoenix once again showed no signs of weakness against a porous Denver defense, as all five starters scored in double figures. ![]()
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