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Nuggets suns preview2/12/2024 ![]() They led by as many as 28 in the final 12 minutes. Jokic then scored 6 straight points to put the Nuggets ahead 101-77 late in the third and they took a 107-84 advantage into the fourth quarter. After Caldwell-Pope hit an 18-footer to open the half San Antonio reeled off another seven points to make it 74-67.ĭenver responded again to expand the lead behind two assists and a layup by Jokic during a 16-4 run. The Spurs scored 8 straight at the end of the period to get within 72-60 at halftime and then got closer to start the third. Jokic’s floating bank shot made it 68-48 with 3:07 left in the second quarter. Strawther hit one from deep, Christian Braun and Jokic made layups, and Braun sank two free throws in an 16-4 run by the Nuggets. Jackson hit a reverse layup, fed DeAndre Jordan for another layup, and then Jordan had a putback dunk of Porter’s missed three-pointer. Wembanyama scored 5 straight points to pull San Antonio within 42-40 but it was the closest it would get. The Nuggets took a 39-35 lead after a high-scoring first quarter but expanded the lead in the second. Last season, the Spurs lost 16 in a row (January 20 to February 28) and they dropped 13 straight in 1988-89. I fully expect the Suns to take control of this game, and even if the Nuggets don't fully rest their starters, it would not be a surprise if their minutes are limited like when Jokic played just 25 minutes on Tuesday against the Rockets.San Antonio’s losing streak is the third longest in franchise history. If anything, this is a good opportunity for them to figure out which of their non-starters are deserving of playoff minutes moving forward. The Nuggets simply have nothing to play for tonight, and there is no real reason for them to show any of the schemes they may deploy against the Suns in a potential Western Conference Semifinals matchup. While the motivation for tonight is more related to team chemistry, I expect the Suns to perform well with this lineup. ![]() This team can score at any level and has been strong defensively as well. When Durant is on the floor, the Suns have posted a +14.8 Point Differential, and their intended starting lineup of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Josh Okogie, Durant and Deandre Ayton has a +20.1 Point Differential as well. The Suns have been incredible with Durant and look to continue their undefeated run with him in the lineup. It's been at 1.5 the last few games, and he's exceeded that total in six of seven games alongside Durant. I will be targeting Devin Booker's First Quarter Assists Prop tonight whenever it opens. I wrote at length about the Suns and Kevin Durant's fit in my Weekly Player Props Forecast. The Suns are likely locked into the 4-seed in the West however, with Kevin Durant returning from injury, there remains a desire to play and garner more on-court chemistry amongst the starters. That is one of the worst sample sizes in the league and would be worse than the San Antonio Spurs on their full-season numbers. The Nuggets have a -13.1 Point Differential and score just 105.8 points per 100 while allowing 118.8. However, when he's off the floor, this drops precipitously. When Jokic is on the floor, the Nuggets have a +13.4 Point Differential and score 125.6 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. Surviving the non-Jokic minutes has been major problem that continues to plague Denver. They have been the best team in the West so far this season and have a +2.7 Adjusted Net Rating on the entire season, which has been buoyed by the league's fifth-best offense ( 117.1 Adjusted Offensive Rating). Tonight's game comes down to motivation for the Nuggets. and Bruce Brown at the time of this writing, but it still would not be surprising if their minutes are managed and we see a bit more of Christian Braun (who has been awesome in an expanded role). The Nuggets are the top seed in the West behind MVP contender Nikola Jokic, while the Suns made the big trade for Kevin Durant at the deadline to prove they are serious about winning a title. It appears that the Nuggets will play Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. The Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns will meet in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs with both teams thinking about a championship. The Nuggets have listed Nikola Jokic (calf), Jamal Murray (thumb) and Zeke Nnaji (knee) as questionable for tonight's contest. ![]() 5 games is too small of a sample size to. The Nuggets have clinched the top seed in the Western Conference and may elect to rest their starters, or at least not play them their full rotations. The Nuggets’ 110.4 defensive rating is 6th so far in the playoffs and a sizeable improvement from their 17th-ranked, 114.6 rating in the regular season.
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