Yes, he’s hitting tough shots, but he’s also getting some easy ones and hasn’t had to work on the defensive end. Two of those triple-doubles have come in this series.Īgain, his play is making many voters rethink their MVP ballots, but the Suns aren’t making him uncomfortable. He passed Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain for most triple-doubles in the playoffs for a center with 10 after going for 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in Game 5. He’s averaging 35 points, 13.8 rebounds and 10 assists in this series. Given all of this, here are five takeaways ahead of Game 6 in Phoenix: Jokic continues to have his way The Suns are 0-2 in elimination games in this three-year postseason run - losing Game 6 at Milwaukee in the 2021 NBA Finals and Game 7 of the 2022 West semifinals to Dallas at home. A win and the Suns will force a Game 7 where anything can happen, even in the high altitude of Denver on Sunday.Ī loss and the fourth-seeded Suns will find themselves answering a bunch of questions about the future of the franchise with a 38-year-old point guard, a center in Deandre Ayton who has severely lost the battle of bigs to Jokic and a head coach in Monty Williams who has established a culture of winning and hard work in Phoenix, but again will have fallen short of championship expectations. Game 6 is Thursday in Phoenix, where they evened up the series with Game 3 and 4 victories. Wanna bet? How to Find NBA Expert Picks and Tips 1 seeded Nuggets now have a 3-2 lead over a team that continues to lean heavily on Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, is without injured Chris Paul with a left groin strain and hasn’t had an answer for two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. The Suns face elimination in this West semifinal series after Tuesday’s 118-102 Game 5 loss at Denver before a sellout crowd of 19,773 at Ball Arena. Win or have the naysayers further criticize a blockbuster trade that brought in superstar Kevin Durant, but sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Phoenix’s draft future to Brooklyn.

Win or watch someone else take home an NBA championship they were one of the favorites to capture going into the playoffs. DENVER - It’s more than just win or go home for the Phoenix Suns.

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