PHOENIX (AP) — Chris Paul and his rejuvenated right shoulder
scored 21 points and dished 11 assists, Mikal Bridges added 23
points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 122-105 on
Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Suns trailed for most of the first half and by 10 points
early in the third quarter but rallied to take the lead by late in
the third. Devin Booker made a 27-foot, step back 3-pointer and
Bridges added a driving layup for a 79-72 advantage.
They pushed the lead to 88-79 going into the fourth. Paul — who
played with an ailing shooting shoulder through most of the first
round matchup against the Lakers — made back-to-back mid-range
jumpers to put the Suns up 94-79 with 10:25 left.
The flurry came much to the delight of the sellout crowd of
16,319, who anxiously watched the point guard's every move.
Paul's buckets were the final exclamation points on a 34-9 run
that helped Phoenix take control. Deandre Ayton finished with 20
points and 10 rebounds while Booker added 21 points.
It was surprising that the game didn't come down to the final
minutes. The three regular-season meetings were all extremely
close: One was decided by three points in regulation, another was
settled in overtime and the other went to double overtime.
Game 2 is on Wednesday in Phoenix.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 22 points but went cold while
the Suns made their second half run. Aaron Gordon added 18 points
while Michael Porter Jr. had 15.
The big man matchup between Jokic and Ayton delivered in the
first quarter as the two teams fought to a 28-all tie. Ayton threw
down a thunderous dunk over Michael Porter Jr. while Jokic used his
strength and positioning to make five of six shots.
Denver led 58-57 at halftime. Jokic had 15 points and six
rebounds before the break while Booker and Ayton countered with 11
points each for the Suns.
CP3'S SHOULDER
All eyes were on Paul in the opening minutes, especially after
his ailing right shoulder was inadvertently bumped by Denver point
guard Facundo Campazzo.
The 11-time All-Star looked uncomfortable for a moment but
recovered quickly. He made a 3-pointer in the second quarter and
then a turnaround jumper.
He really started to look like his old self in the fourth
quarter, when he knocked down back-to-back jumpers to push the Suns
up 15. Partly because of the shoulder injury, Paul averaged just
9.2 points per game against the Lakers in the first round.
NO SOUR GRAPES
Suns coach Monty Williams finished second in the NBA Coach of
the Year, just behind the New York Knicks' Tom Thibodeau.
It was the closest balloting since this version of voting was
introduced 19 years ago. Thibodeau got 43 first-place votes and
finished with 351 total points, while Phoenix’s Monty Williams
actually got more first-place votes — he got 45 — but finished with
340 points.
Williams wasn't upset to finish second, especially since the
winner was Thibodeau. The two worked together when they were
assistant coaches with USA basketball.
“It's pretty cool to watch someone I've worked with win an award
like that,” Williams said.
FLAVORTOWN IN PHOENIX
Celebrity chef Guy Fieri was among the fans sitting courtside at
Phoenix Suns Arena. The band Jimmy Eat World, which was formed in
Mesa, Arizona, in the 1990s and had a string of hits in the 2000s,
performed at halftime.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Guards Jamal Murray (left ACL surgery), Will Barton
(right hamstring strain) and P.J. Dozier (right adductor strain)
didn't play. Denver hopes that Barton and Dozier could be available
at some point during the series.
Suns: Forward Abdel Nader (right knee surgery) didn't play. ...
Suns F Torrey Craig had a good performance against his former team,
scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds in 15 minutes.
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