**ESPN:** [recap](https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401585521) – [boxscore](https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401585521) – [gamecast](https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401585521) | **NBA.com:** [boxscore](https://www.nba.com/game/0022300893) – [shotchart](https://www.nba.com/game/0022300893/game-charts)
||**Q1**|**Q2**|**Q3**|**Q4**|**OT1**|**Final**||
|:—|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|
**PHX**|**28**|**37**|**25**|**12**|**15**|**117**|[](/PHX)|
**DEN**|**32**|**18**|**31**|**21**|**5**|**107**|[](/DEN)|
**Team**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
[](/PHX)**PHX**|**42-96 (43.8)**|**15-34 (44.1)**|**18-22 (81.8)**|**11**|**52**|**32**|**9**|**9**|**7**|**19**|**117**|
[](/DEN)**DEN**|**41-96 (42.7)**|**15-39 (38.5)**|**10-14 (71.4)**|**10**|**51**|**25**|**14**|**6**|**6**|**15**|**107**|
**[](/DEN)DEN**|**Min**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|**+/-**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
M. Porter Jr.^^SF|39:42|8-18 (44.4)|4-12 (33.3)|0-0 (0.0)|0|7|0|2|1|0|3|20|-6|
A. Gordon^^PF|34:09|3-10 (30.0)|1-3 (33.3)|0-1 (0.0)|1|3|3|1|0|0|2|7|-22|
N. Jokic^^C|44:16|8-18 (44.4)|4-7 (57.1)|5-7 (71.4)|3|16|5|7|0|0|2|25|-13|
K. Caldwell-Pope^^SG|38:21|4-6 (66.7)|3-3 (100.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0|5|3|1|2|2|2|11|-18|
J. Murray^^PG|42:12|12-25 (48.0)|2-5 (40.0)|2-2 (100.0)|3|7|9|3|1|0|0|28|0|
R. Jackson|15:52|1-6 (16.7)|1-3 (33.3)|0-0 (0.0)|0|2|0|0|0|0|1|3|-7|
C. Braun|18:51|3-3 (100.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1-2 (50.0)|1|4|1|0|1|2|2|7|+12|
P. Watson|22:53|2-8 (25.0)|0-5 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1|4|4|0|1|2|2|4|+1|
Z. Nnaji|8:44|0-2 (0.0)|0-1 (0.0)|2-2 (100.0)|1|3|0|0|0|0|1|2|+3|
**Totals**||**41-96 (42.7)**|**15-39 (38.5)**|**10-14 (71.4)**|**10**|**51**|**25**|**14**|**6**|**6**|**15**|**107**||
**DNP:** ***Justin Holiday***, ***Jay Huff***, ***DeAndre Jordan***, ***Jalen Pickett***, ***Julian Strawther***, ***Hunter Tyson***
**Inactive:** ***Vlatko Cancar***, ***Collin Gillespie***, ***Braxton Key***
**[](/PHX)PHX**|**Min**|**FG**|**3PT**|**FT**|**OR**|**Reb**|**Ast**|**TO**|**Stl**|**Blk**|**PF**|**Pts**|**+/-**|
|:—|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|—:|
R. O’Neale^^SF|39:02|3-9 (33.3)|2-5 (40.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1|5|6|1|0|0|2|8|+12|
K. Durant^^PF|43:47|14-34 (41.2)|3-8 (37.5)|4-5 (80.0)|0|8|5|2|0|2|1|35|+14|
J. Nurkic^^C|29:54|3-4 (75.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1-2 (50.0)|1|12|6|3|2|2|6|7|+9|
G. Allen^^SG|40:38|9-15 (60.0)|8-12 (66.7)|2-2 (100.0)|1|5|4|0|3|0|1|28|+20|
B. Beal^^PG|36:14|6-18 (33.3)|2-5 (40.0)|2-2 (100.0)|1|6|6|2|2|0|4|16|+4|
E. Gordon|21:41|1-7 (14.3)|0-4 (0.0)|2-4 (50.0)|1|1|2|1|2|0|0|4|+6|
B. Bol|12:31|1-2 (50.0)|0-0 (0.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1|4|1|0|0|1|2|2|-8|
S. Lee|12:41|1-3 (33.3)|0-0 (0.0)|2-2 (100.0)|1|3|2|0|0|0|0|4|-12|
D. Eubanks|23:06|3-3 (100.0)|0-0 (0.0)|4-4 (100.0)|4|8|0|0|0|2|3|10|+1|
D. Roddy|5:26|1-1 (100.0)|0-0 (0.0)|1-1 (100.0)|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|3|+4|
**Totals**||**42-96 (43.8)**|**15-34 (44.1)**|**18-22 (81.8)**|**11**|**52**|**32**|**9**|**9**|**7**|**19**|**117**||
**DNP:** ***Udoka Azubuike***, ***Thaddeus Young***
**Inactive:** ***Devin Booker***, ***Damion Lee***, ***Nassir Little***, ***Josh Okogie***, ***Ish Wainright***
||**PITP**|**2^^nd PTS**|**FB PTS**|**BIG LD**|**BEN PTS**|**TOT TOV**|**TOV PTS**||
|:—|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|:–:|
**PHX**|40|14|13|22|23|10|18|[](/PHX)|
**DEN**|40|14|26|7|16|15|13|[](/DEN)|
**Lead Changes: 14** | **Times Tied: 4** | **Gametime: 2:25** | **Attendance: 19589**
*Officials: Ed Malloy, Karl Lane, Phenizee Ransom*
by BigHoneyBot
40 Comments
Suns came out with playoff (fouling) physicality and intensity and the nuggets weren’t ready to match it during several stretches. Jokic with some careless turnovers, looked like the whole team was caught off guard by the physicality and defense. On to the next, every team is gunning for the champs
This shit always happens when we get 2+ days of rest during the regular season. Idk what they do during the extra day but please for the love of god stop doing it.
We have to stop going down early in games and having to make comebacks
Just start the game with good effort for once
A tooooon of missed opportunities and bad decisions. It was all very un-Nugget.
I forgive them, though. Let’s sweep Boston!
It’s like this team never fucking learns. All year it’s been a cycle of us being within a pube hair of the 1 seed and then immediately throwing out chances at it away. Fucking sick of this shit. Being tired isn’t an excuse or even a valid reason for losing crucial games so close to the postseason
We lose games, it happens. But for the life of me, and can’t understand why our worst shooters keep taking 3’s when we are trying to make a comeback. Take the easier 2 points and keep chipping away.
And do we have the lowest finishing rate in the league on fast breaks? It seems like we miss so many contested layups, or turn it over.
On to the next one.
The only consolation here is that Jok has let his last bad game of the season out of his system. Man he looked rough tonight.
What if Gordon defended KD before the catch how teams guard Jokic?
Why is it that you’re allowed to just hit post players to the body all game even when they’re 30 feet from basketball?
Tough to come back from 22 and then just run out of gas. Could of folded way earlier but props to them for bringing it back. Some very sloppy play dug them into that deficit tho.
Wish Jokic would’ve been a bit more aggressive after Nurk fouled out, but think he and the team was a bit thrown off by how hard they were selling out on stopping him, especially in OT. Hopefully this next game is a banger!
Tbh it’s on jokic. Didn’t have a usual game of his standards and wasn’t aggressive enough in his matchups. The one seed continues to evade
Sad to take the L, but it was taken with some humility knowing somehow down the line phoenix is gonna get eliminated in a blowout at home in a few months. Can’t wait for it!
Its a good loss.
Clash of the Titans will now be 2 pissed off teams looking to bounce back from tough losses.
I think frank vogel looks back on his lakers strategy against jokic in the bubble: foul the fuck out of him and try to prevent him screening or getting touches in the paint. Refs can’t call every foul if they do it every time
So, the game of how far can we fall behind in the 1st half only to win by 10+ challenge ended tonight right? I was only checking the score occasionally. I was too busy reading, but feel like they might start taking the first half seriously from here…
Zeke Nnaji’s minutes need to be given to literally anyone else on the team.
We blew too many opportunities to win the game at the end. Onto Boston
Malone calling it out. Jokic couldn’t get the ball and dudes missing in the paint:
https://twitter.com/NBABlackburn/status/1765253731648475169?t=Qgh_N-Br2PUdi8fdXKoSEA&s=19
Dang it.
https://twitter.com/AndrewDBailey/status/1765215419504513349?t=GPQForN4u4bsQzs_HyJphQ&s=19
The 2 early hacks that went uncalled
Phoenix needed this win and the refs helped. Denver still should’ve had it but whatever
I wouldn’t mind Holiday eating some of Reggie’s and Zeke’s minutes
This morning i was mildly excited because i realised we could have Nuggets vs Celtics to decide which team kept their winning streak. I guess by that thought entering my head the powers above chose to smite both teams, my bad.
Kudos to PHX, they needed this one and played with far more urgency to get the lead. Jokic with a rare bad game, this is like a 1/20 occurrence so I’m chilling.
Bubble Vogel prevailed against the Nuggets. Time to cook up new schemes to counter them.
I don’t know why the starters looked so tired coming off of 2 days rest.
Not a great game from our guys and it still got pushed to OT? I’m not frettin’ too hard
Last time Jokic had this bad of a game, it ended up being three bad games in a row. Hopefully, it’s a one-off thing this time. Also, Nurk has given Jokic problems in both meetings so far. I trust Jokic will own that matchup in a playoff series tho.
That 4th qtr stretch where both teams jsut kept missing open threes consecutively was painfully hilarious hahaha
It was cool to let them score more points in overtime than they did the entire 4th quarter
That was an ugly ass game. I said they were gonna pull it out in the 4th, but when it went to OT I figured it was over. Crazy that Nugs had a chance to end it with 4 seconds left despite how badly everyone played.
As a CB hater usually, I was really happy with how he played today. Had a nice uncontested floater which he can develop in the off season
Tonight was my first time being in Ball for a loss. I didn’t like it as much as winning
I know they played awful (especially Jokic and AG) but that horrendous whistle also contributed to it. Just sucks that we almost pulled it off but the loss should not be a cause of panic. We just won 6 consecutive games and we weren’t going undefeated. Might be good that they will come to the Boston game a little angry and more than pumped to get the win.
So we get a point for the OTL, right?
As a Nuggies fan: Ugggghhh
As for my recently passed grandfather, A Suns fan, Go you!
I guess that serves as a good lesson that we’re not always gonna be able to pull off those crazy comebacks like we have been all season long, especially with KD on the other end. Credit to the boys tho, even tho they completely lost their composure, they still fought back. Bench also positive. Hopefully this provides extra motivation against Boston.
Story of the game… Kevin Durant is really good you guys. We also had a bad shooting night.
Reggie Jackson playing terrorist ball. Unable to do the 2 man game with Jok. Should’ve traded for a reliable backup PG.
Every single time the nuggets have a chance to tie or get sole possession of the 1 seed they shit the bed
Jokic with the 7 turnovers is wild