We tried to take them out of the game and play fast just like we did in Game 5. We knew the crowd was going to be into it. Murray said on ESPN of the Nuggets' big first half, "We came in focused, we came in locked in and we knew what we had to do. For Phoenix, Payne had 19 points before the break. In addition to Caldwell-Pope's big half, Jokic had 20 points and Murray scored 18 in the half. Murray's short jumper capped the run to make it 79-47 with 1:05 remaining. The Suns were down by 15 after Booker's basket with 5:11 left in the first half before the Nuggets exploded on a 19-2 burst. Murray scored the first two points of the second to cap a 19-0 surge. Jokic connected on 13 of 18 shots while posting his third triple-double of the series.ĭenver began pulling away by scoring 17 straight points to end the first quarter with a 44-26 lead. added 10 for the Nuggets, who shot 53.7 percent from the field, including 8 of 22 (36.4 percent) from 3-point range. The Suns also received 13 points from Jock Landale.īruce Brown scored 13 points and Michael Porter Jr. Phoenix shot 48.1 percent from the field and 11 of 28 (39.3 percent) from behind the arc. the Chicago Bulls in Game 6 of the 2015 Eastern Conference first round).Ĭhris Paul (groin) missed his fourth straight game and Suns teammate Deandre Ayton (rib) also sat out. the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of the 1971 Western Conference semifinals) and the Bucks (32 vs. ![]() The bigger halftime deficits in elimination games belong to the San Francisco Warriors (34 vs. The game and what you're trying to accomplish - neither day feels good. Suns coach Monty Williams said of seeing the team's season end with a blowout loss for second straight year, "I'm not sure I can compare. Phoenix trailed the Dallas Mavericks by 30 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals before succumbing 123-90. Phoenix trailed 81-51 at the break, with the 30-point margin tying last season's Suns for the third-worst playoff halftime deficit in NBA history to a team facing elimination. The Nuggets will open the Western Conference finals at home on Tuesday against either the Golden State Warriors or Los Angeles Lakers. Kevin Durant scored 23 points, but Devin Booker had just 12 to go with eight assists. We had the same mindset as playing at home - just be aggressive, move them from the spots, make them make tough shots, and I think we did it."Ĭameron Payne established personal playoff highs of 31 points and seven 3-pointers for the fourth-seeded Suns. Jokic said on ESPN of ending the best-of-seven series on the road, "It cannot be a hostile environment for us. It is Denver's fifth overall trip to the Western finals. Jamal Murray scored 26 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope produced all 21 of his points in a dominant first half as the top-seeded Nuggets reached the conference finals for the second time in the past four seasons. Paul will be re-evaluated on Friday, with Game 6 tipping off on Saturday at 9 ET.Nikola Jokic recorded 32 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to help the Denver Nuggets steamroll the host Phoenix Suns 125-100 on Thursday night and win their Western Conference semifinal series in six games. “ will do whatever they can do,” D’Antoni said. Also picking up the slack was sixth man Eric Gordon, who D’Antoni says will be the team’s playmaker should Paul miss Game 6. His effort was critical with All-Star teammate James Harden struggling with his shot throughout the game, going 0-for-11 from 3-point range. ![]() ![]() He also recorded seven rebounds, six assists and three steals to go with zero turnovers. Paul finished the game with another quality performance, scoring 18 of his 20 points in the second half. It came with significant cost, however, as point guard Chris Paul suffered a right hamstring injury in the final minute.Īlready dealing with a sore foot, Paul reached for his hamstring after a drive to the basket, limping noticeably before checking out of the game.Īsked if Paul would play in Saturday’s Game 6, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said, “We’ll see.” He did say Paul is “worried” about the injury. The Houston Rockets earned a thrilling Game 5 victory on Thursday, moving one win away from The Finals with a 98-94 triumph over the Golden State Warriors.
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