![]() ![]() Malone spoke about the need to “bring somebody else to the party” ahead of Game 5, pointing to the examples set by Landry Shamet in becoming a legit third option in Phoenix’s Game 4 win. Nuggets pull away from Suns with 3rd-quarter clinic When you’re in a game where it’s going to come down to a possession or two, those are crucial.” “And there are clips where when you look at it, and I’ve watched them over and over and over again, it’s like watching a horror movie,” Malone said. Malone mentioned that in transition defense “your first two steps have to be a sprint.” Perhaps more frustrating for Malone was watching Denver jog back on defense, while Devin Booker and Cameron Payne sprinted furiously through Nuggets defenders attacking the basket. In watching film of Denver’s last two contests, Malone noticed his squad needed to “be a lot more disciplined with the crash rate” as players routinely crashed the glass from the top of the key when they shouldn’t have. “If we can’t eliminate the transition, we’re not going to win this series - point blank,” Malone said. The performance marked the third time all season the Nuggets scored more than 30 fast-break points.ĭenver was minus-29 in fast-break points over the first four games. But Denver would turn the tables in Game 5 by setting a postseason high with 31 fast-break points, compared to 25 for Phoenix. In Games 3 and 4, the Suns scorched Denver for an average 21.5 points in transition. Meanwhile, Phoenix led the league in fast-break points, nearly three points better than the No. Over the first four games of this series, the Nuggets surrendered an average of 19.3 points in transition, which ranked last among the eight remaining playoff teams. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s Game 5 at Ball Arena:Įverybody expected Denver to emphasize improving its transition defense in Game 5, and Nuggets coach Michael Malone left no confusion where he stood on the subject before tipoff. We didn’t handle it as well as we could.” “It started in the first, and then in the third, they were up into us even more. “I just felt like we played with great pace in the last two games, and they nullified that with physicality,” Phoenix coach Monty Williams said. Jokic inflicted the bulk of his damage in the third quarter, scoring 17 of his game-high 29 points on 7-for-8 shooting with three rebounds, three assists, a steal and two blocked shots as Denver shot 70% and outscored Phoenix 39-25. Nikola Jokic on Game 5: 'We were the aggressors' Coming off a Game 4 performance in which he reeled off a playoff career-high 53 points and 11 assists, Jokic tied Larry Bird, Rajon Rondo and Draymond Green for fifth all-time in playoff triple-doubles. The home-court hospitality belied the physicality the 28-year-old would soon unleash on the visiting Suns. The competitors ended the encounter with a handshake and a hug. Jokic held out a basketball, before flipping it to Ishbia as both men smiled. Leaving the court after finishing up a pregame warmup, Jokic spotted Ishbia (a former Michigan State basketball player) sitting next to Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker courtside and walked up to their seats. “The two games in Phoenix, they were the ones who were pushing all over the place, moving spots, digging into us. “I think we were the aggressors,” Jokic said. The Nuggets improved to 30-3 this season when Jokic produces a triple-double. Then, the two-time Kia MVP hurled haymakers at the new owner’s squad in a 118-102 Denver victory powered by the Nuggets big man logging his 10th career postseason triple-double to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the most in NBA history by a center. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets dominate during a 3rd quarter onslaught to pull away from the Suns in Game 5 and grab a 3-2 series lead.ĭENVER - Nikola Jokic playfully tossed a basketball to Phoenix Suns governor Mat Ishbia sitting courtside ahead of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals. ![]()
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