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The Phoenix Suns should've been closely watching the Denver Nuggets playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
In Game 6 two nights ago at the Moda Center, Denver Nuggets superstar center and odds-on 2021 NBA MVP favorite, Nikola Jokic, posted 36 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. He led the Denver Nuggets to a decisive series-clinching road victory over Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
A couple of hours later at Staples Center, Phoenix Suns star shooting guard Devin Booker erupted for a playoff career-high 47 points.
Booker's 47 points helped the Phoenix Suns dethrone LeBron James and the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. The LA Lakers were viewed as the favorites heading into the first-round series, in six games.
By virtue of their Game 6 victory over the LA Lakers, the Phoenix Suns set themselves up for a second-round showdown against the Denver Nuggets, with Game 1 being this Monday at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.
The Phoenix Suns technically head into the series as the favorite since they're the second seed in the West. However, they'll more than certainly have their hands full against a Denver Nuggets team who finished the regular season with the third-best record in the West.
With that said, let's take a look at the three things the Phoenix Suns must do to beat the Denver Nuggets and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010.
#1 Contain Nikola Jokic
Now this is quite easier said than done, given that Nikola Jokic is arguably the best center in the NBA today. Plus, he's coming off a superb performance against Portland in the first round, where he averaged 33 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in six games.
On top of that impressive statine, Jokic shot 52.8% from the field, 42.9% behind the arc, and 91.7 from the free throw line.
However, if the Phoenix Suns want to defeat the Denver Nuggets and keep their championship aspirations alive, containing Jokic is a necessity. Although it'll take a team effort, the Phoenix Suns' starting center, Deandre Ayton, will likely draw the assignment as Jokic's primary defender.
Ayton was Anthony Davis' primary defender during the Phoenix Suns' first-round matchup against the LA Lakers. Ayton more than held his own against Davis, as the eight-time All-Star only shot 11-for-29 (37.9%) from the field when guarded by Ayton.
Having said that, Ayton will need to have another solid defensive outing this series, while likely being matched up against Jokic. If he doesn't, it's more than plausible that the Phoenix Suns won't be advancing to the 2021 Western Conference Finals.
#2 The Phoenix Suns' bench has to be better than Denver Nuggets' bench
The Phoenix Suns' bench finished the season averaging 37 points per game, the 14th- highest mark in the league. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets' bench ended the year averaging 32.2 points per game, the fourth lowest mark in the league.
But in the 2021 NBA playoffs, it's been two completely different stories for the two teams' benches, albeit on a much smaller sample size.
The Phoenix Suns' bench has averaged 28.5 PPG so far this postseason, which is currently the 8th-lowest average in the postseason. However, the Denver Nuggets' bench has averaged 35.7 PPG, which is currently the 5th-highest average in the postseason, and the most out of all the Western Conference playoff teams.
Now, granted in the first round, the Phoenix Suns played an LA Lakers team that finished the season with the best defensive rating in the league. Whereas the Denver Nuggets played a Trail Blazers team who finished the year with the third-worst defensive rating in NBA history.
So the aforementioned postseason bench PPG rankings may be a bit misleading.
Nevertheless, the Denver Nuggets are likely heading into the series without three key rotation players in Jamal Murray (torn ACL), Will Barton (Hamstring) and PJ (Adductor). So they'll be relying a lot more on their bench than usual to carry some of the burden off Jokic and Michael Porter Jr.
Meaning it'll be critical for the Phoenix Suns reserves such as Cameron Johnson, Dario Saric, Torrey Craig, Frank Kaminsky, and Cameron Payne to match the energy of the Denver Nuggets reserves.
They will need to provide a much-needed spark off the bench to enable the Phoenix Suns to have a better chance of knocking off the Denver Nuggets.
#3 The Phoenix Suns Big 3 of Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul all have to be terrific offensively
The Phoenix Suns finished the season tied with the Denver Nuggets for the sixth-best offensive rating in the NBA. The trio of Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker and CP3 were all at the forefront of the Phoenix Suns' being a top-tier offense this season, as they were Phoenix's three leading scorers this year.
Plus, Ayton led the team in rebounding, Booker led in scoring, and CP3 led in assists.
In their first-round victory over the Lakers, Booker averaged a team-high 29.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5 assists. Booker also shot 48.8% from the field, 42.9% behind the arc, and 93.8% at the free throw line.
Ayton averaged 15.8 points, a team-high 10.7 rebounds, while shooting an ultra-efficient 79.6% from the field, and playing great defense on Anthony Davis.
Although CP3 played with a severe right shoulder injury for the majority of the series, he still averaged a team-high 7.7 assists and made some timely plays on both ends of the court.
With that said, as balanced and deep as the Phoenix Suns are, they'll only go as far as the trio of Ayton, Booker, and Paul can take them. So it'll be ever-so vital for the Suns' Big 3 to rise to the occasion and play some of their most terrific stretches of basketball for their upcoming second-round series against the Denver Nuggets.
If they succeed in doing so, the Phoenix Suns will have a great opportunity at eliminating Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Also Read: Top 5 free agents whose current teams should re-sign them in 2021 NBA free agency
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