On Sunday night, the Phoenix Suns will face the Denver Nuggets in game four of their Western Conference battle.
Update Injury Phoenix Suns – Denver Nuggets
The Suns played well on Friday night to win, moving the series to 2-1 in Denver’s advantage. A win on Sunday would even the series when they head to Denver, and NBA fans will undoubtedly be hoping for this game to go the distance.
Home teams dominated in the regular season between these two, and that has undoubtedly continued in this postseason series.
With a late start on Sunday night, fans will be ready to cap off the weekend by seeing two of the league’s most promising clubs.
The Suns are plainly relieved to be back at home after two games in Denver ended in lopsided defeats.
The fans pushed them to the final line on Friday, and while they still have a lot of work to do on Sunday, they can sense how close they are to turning this series on its head.
This year, Phoenix was dominant at the Footprint Center, going 31-14. With their opponent’s road difficulties, momentum could be shifting back in the favour of the lower seed as tipoff on Sunday approaches.
Kevin Durant (29.3 ppg) and Devin Booker (36.9 ppg) both had historic games on Friday night. While both have had a solid series thus far, expecting them to produce as much as they did on Friday is not a sure bet.
As previously said, the lack of bench scoring or scoring from other starters is perplexing. Only two other players are averaging double digits in the playoffs, and one of those is Paul, who leaves them with only Ayton.
With defensive issues, they’ll need a fresh game plan to come out of Sunday night square the series at 2-2.
The lack of depth and balanced scoring is a significant issue, but if their superstars continue to perform at a high level, this series might be headed back to Denver with a 2-2 tie.
Injuries were one of the reasons the Suns underperformed during the regular season, and that problem is still with them.
There is only one name on the injury list, but Chris Paul (groin) is still out. It will be intriguing to observe how his absence affects the backcourt as one of the best point guards in NBA history.
Paul will be out for the second straight game with a strained left groin and should be considered day-to-day going ahead. Paul’s next opportunity to play will be in Game 5 on Tuesday in Denver.
Cameron Payne started in Paul’s stead for Game 3 and finished with seven points and six assists in 30 minutes. He is expected to start again on Sunday.
The Nuggets were dominant in the first two games of the series and for much of game three on Friday. A mediocre second half eventually caught up with them, but there’s little doubt they believe they can win again on Sunday.
However, the road has not been kind to them this season, as they have a losing record away from home, including three losses in three games in Phoenix.
With depth being a crucial for them throughout much of the playoffs thus far, there’s no doubt that this one could go any way. A win would put Denver in a good position to win the series, but a defeat would rapidly undermine their confidence and momentum.
Nikola Jokic finished with 30 points (11-19 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 7-8 FT), 17 rebounds, 17 assists, and one block on Friday.
Jokic piled on the assists again on Friday, doing his best to help the Nuggets to the finish line; the 17 assists were a season high for Jokic.
While his numbers were outstanding, the squad fell short, losing to a Suns club that finally got things going on the offensive end.
The Nuggets are currently up 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 set for Sunday in Phoenix. Jokic will surely lead the charge once more as they attempt to take a 3-1 advantage home.
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Staying healthy has been critical for this team this season, and that good fortune has carried over into the playoffs.
Only one player is listed as injured heading into Sunday night’s game. Collin Gillespie (leg) will be out for a few weeks longer, but his absence should have little influence on how this one plays out.
