These drawbacks made Nikola a defensive liability, but now the stats are saying otherwise. A lot of teams chose to bail on Nikola, mainly due to his lack of athleticism and lateral quickness. ![]() The Serbian center wasn’t on most people’s scouting report, solidified by the fact that he was drafted during a Taco Bell advertisement. Nikola Jokic was the 41st pick of The 2014 NBA draft. All rights reserved.Nikola Jokic left people divided over his defensive abilities Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information / Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. ^ Back to Top ^ © 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. He had all of them until Booker shot two free throws in the final seconds. ![]() Suns: Durant shot 16 of the team's 18 free throws. Nuggets: Jokic had 10 assists in the first half. I could see that a little with him today, so it's my job to pump him up.” ![]() You can't get flustered, you can't get in your own head. Energy and effort always has to be high, especially around this time. It's doing other things to make up for it. “We've been around long enough to understand that not every night is going to be your night. Booker said it's his job to help Ayton push through the tough times. 1 overall pick in favor of Landale, who was providing much more energy and rebounding. It was a tough night for Suns starting center Deandre Ayton, who finished with just four points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.Īyton was so ineffective that Williams benched the former No. Durant added 21, including 11 points on free throws. Landale finished with six points and nine rebounds, while Warren hit a couple crucial buckets in the final minutes to help the Suns keep the lead.īooker scored 27 points in the first half on 12-of-15 shooting to push the Suns ahead 67-52 by halftime. Williams also shook up the bench rotation, giving Terrence Ross, Jock Landale and TJ Warren more minutes. Payne - a playoff hero for a few games two seasons ago when Paul was out - scored seven points, including a big 3-pointer early in the fourth. The Suns put Cameron Payne in the starting lineup to take the place of 12-time All-Star Chris Paul, who suffered a strained left groin in the Game 2 loss and didn't play on Friday. “I wasn’t a math major but that is a really high percentage,” Malone said. I have to be more locked in, more relaxed down the stretch.”ĭenver coach Michael Malone said his team played well at times, but that the defense against Booker was “unacceptable.” Booker repeatedly got near the rim for short jumpers or layups, which contributed to the 20 of 25 shooting night. “I feel like they pulled away because of that. “I had some great looks at the end of the game and that would have kept us right there,” Murray said. Murray said he was disappointed he didn't contribute more down the stretch. Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 32 points, while Michael Porter Jr. ![]() “But there also comes a time when you've just got to figure it out and push through it.”ĭenver's Nikola Jokic - who finished second in the MVP voting on Tuesday to Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid - finished with 30 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds. “It's frustrating not making shots, because that's what I'm paid to do,” Durant said. Durant started 1 for 9 from the field but made 11 of his final 22. They wouldn’t trail in the fourth quarter. Phoenix scored the first nine points of the fourth - including the final two on Durant's fast-break dunk - to push their advantage to 99-88. The Suns took a 90-88 lead into the fourth quarter, retaking the lead after the Nuggets erased a 15-point halftime deficit. The Suns will try to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday in Phoenix. “They knew what we had to do to win this game,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. Durant shot just 12 of 31 from the field, but made 14 of 16 free throws. “I've dedicated a lot of my life, moved away from my family when I was young, to pursue being in these moments.”īooker had another ultra-efficient scoring night, shooting 20 of 25 from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. “It's all I know, this is all I dreamed of as a kid,” Booker said. PHOENIX - Devin Booker has carried a massive offensive load for the Phoenix Suns in these playoffs, averaging more than 35 points per game despite defenders draped all over him in most games.įaced with a nearly must-win game on Friday night, he somehow did even more.īooker scored 47 points, Kevin Durant added 39 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 121-114 to cut Denver’s lead to 2-1 in their Western Conference semifinal series. Booker scores 47, Durant adds 39, Suns beat Nuggets 121-114
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