The Denver Nuggets lost 104-97 to the Phoenix Suns at home on Wednesday night, struggling to make enough shots to close the gap against the Suns throughout the second half.

Nikola Jokic finished the game with 22 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists, but he shot just 9-of-16 from the field and was less aggressive going to the paint. The Suns started backup center Drew Eubanks with Jusuf Nurkic sidelined due to injury, and Eubanks did a nice job playing physically against Jokic. The Nuggets rarely tried to fight the scheme the Suns threw their way though, and that led to many perimeter shots after the Suns doubled Jokic in the middle.

Without Jamal Murray tonight, the Nuggets were slow out of the gate in the first half on both ends of the floor. Denver’s starters, led by Jokic and Porter, figured out a way to close the gap a bit before the end of the half. Still, it felt like the Suns were raining down threes for much of the time. The Suns shot 10-of-19 from three in the first half, a shooting level that often indicates a Suns victory so far this year.

Denver broke out a new lineup at the beginning of the second quarter that hadn’t played serious minutes before tonight, featuring Peyton Watson at center matching up with Kevin Durant at the position. The Nuggets held on for a while but ultimately lost the thread, scoring just two points in four minutes and forcing a timeout. The starters came back in earlier than anticipated, and while they stabilized, Denver never fully recovered until halftime.

Then, the Suns took over in the second half, putting on a strong defensive performance against the Nuggets and forcing the Nuggets to settle for three-pointers of their own. The Nuggets shot 3-of-17 from three in the second half and 10-of-40 overall, accepting the opportunities the Suns allotted them while the Suns protected the paint. Reggie Jackson shot 1-of-7 from three. Porter shot 2-of-7. Jokic shot 1-of-5. The Nuggets just didn’t have the shotmaking to keep up with the Suns.

“They make 16. We went 10-of-40,” Michael Malone highlighted postgame. “I thought we had a ton of great looks that just didn’t go down for us.”

“Hopefully we can make a couple more,” shared Nikola Jokic on Denver’s three-point shooting. Then, he continued on Denver needing to continue taking those threes: “I think if you’re open, you’ve gotta shoot it.”

The Suns played well overall, and Kevin Durant was out there leading them once again. He was efficient tonight as a scorer, and though the Nuggets forced eight turnovers, they didn’t force enough misses from one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. Durant ha 30 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks, shooting 12-of-20 from the field and 3-of-4 from three. It was a special performance from him.

“I think he was getting the shots that he wants, the shots that he can make,” Nikola Jokic said of Durant’s night. “He’s a great player. Maybe we can do something different. Maybe not. They’re a really good team. They have so many threats on the floor. You’ve got to kind of pick and choose.”

Malone was also disappointed with Denver’s defensive rebounding, noting that the Nuggets have consistently struggled with their rebounding post All-Star Break. The Nuggets went with Peyton Watson as their backup center in the early second quarter but struggled on the glass in those moments (and other moments throughout the game).

“We knew their second unit would be really small, and with Aaron and his injuries and everything he’s dealing with, I just don’t want go to Aaron as our backup five for the last 10 games and run him into the ground.”

Not having Jamal Murray out there certainly hurt the Nuggets too. They needed another scorer to make shots, get into the paint, and create more efficient looks around the rim. Murray wasn’t out there though and is still trying to come back from a variety of injuries, the one listed tonight being right knee inflammation. In his place, Jackson and Collin Gillespie played, combining to score 19 points and shoot 7-of-21 from the field and 3-of-13 from three.

“This win or loss is not on Reggie Jackson or Collin Gillespie,” Malone said, coming to the defense of his point guards. “This is on me and the entirety of the team…we had our chances as a collective group, and we just didn’t get the job done.”

Finally, Michael Porter Jr. spoke to the media tonight and commented on his brother Jontay Porter’s current situation with the Toronto Raptors and gambling.

“I know what you guys know. I know Jontay loves the game of basketball. He’s really excited to play. He’s been really excited to play with the Raptors. I know just as much as you guys know at this point.”

 Porter was gracious with his time and shared his thoughts on gambling as well.

“People in the crowd are saying what they need you to score, or what they don’t want you to score. Every night you’re disappointing someone.”

For those that don’t know, Jontay is being investigated for irregular betting activity centered around his personal prop bets in games that he didn’t finish due to injury. You can read about the story here.

Final Rotations