Nuggets

Los Denver Nuggets they will play the west end of the NBA after crushing this Thursday in Phoenix to about Suns that, despite having Devin Booker and Kevin Durant as figures, they closed their season again with a huge fiasco (100-125 and 2-4 in the series).

The Suns finished last season with a humiliating defeat in the seventh game and at home against the Dallas Mavericks of Luka Doncic in the Western semifinals (90-123) and tonight they crashed again noisily at the time the season was played.

Although the locals somewhat made up the final result in the minutes of garbage, the statistics of the first half accurately reflected the military walk of the Nuggets and the collapse of the Suns.

Denver came to win 32 points in the second quarter, landed at halftime with a devastating 51-81, made 61.7% of their field goals, doubled Phoenix in points in the paint (44 vs. 22), he controlled the rebound (24 to 13) and only lost 2 balls (compared to 8 for the Suns).

Mike Malone’s team not only boasted artillery on offense but also dazzled on defense, screwing Durant (8 points on 2-of-11 shooting in the first half) and Booker (11 points on 4-of-12).

There was no story in an inconsequential second half in which the Suns exhibited sad helplessness and the Nuggets held on to their huge margin without a hitch.

The Suns, who relived their traumatic elimination against the Mavericks in 2022 almost step by step (then they also lost 30 points after the first half), were booed by their fans at halftime and could only present absences due to injury as ‘mitigating’ by Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.

For their part, the Nuggets will play their first conference final since the 2020 ‘bubble’ and, as leaders in the West in the regular season, they will try to reach their first NBA Finals in their entire history.

His rival will come out of the semifinal between the Los Angeles Lakers of LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors of Stephen Curry (3-2 for those in purple and gold).

In this historic triumph for the Denver franchise, Nikola Jokic (triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists), Jamal Murray (26 points with 4 triples) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (21 points) stood out especially.

For his part, Cameron Payne, with 31 points and 7 three-pointers, was the only one who was saved from shipwreck in a Suns in which Durant finished with 23 points (8 of 19) and in which Booker disappointed with only 12 points (4 of 19). of 13).

Annihilating first half

Payne and Jock Landale, the replacements for Paul and Ayton in the starting five, offered some hope by scoring the Suns’ first 7 points.

But that start was just a mirage.

The Nuggets, absolutely dominant on both sides of the field, gave an annihilating recital in a brutal first quarter (26-44) that they closed in style with a spectacular 0-17 run in three minutes.

Caldwell-Pope added 17 points on an overwhelming 6 of 7 shooting and Jokic pulled the strings of the game at will until he added 14 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.

In the Suns? The most desert nothing, so much so that Payne with 10 points scored more than Booker and Durant together (7 between them).

The situation got even worse for Phoenix in the second quarter, with no solutions from the bench or a hint of reaction on the court.

Murray joined the Nuggets’ party with 15 points only in the second period but in reality everything turned out great for the visitors, tremendously superior in all facets: control of the paint, fight for the rebound, accuracy in shooting, Concentration in defense, movement of the ball…

After a dream first half for those from Denver (51-81), some Suns without soul or pride could only cut to -23 during the third quarter, they reached the last one with an unapproachable -27 and finally ended up sealing another very sad chapter for the Arizona franchise.

Tatum forces Game 7 in Boston

Jayson Tatum only added 3 points in the first three quarters but resurrected with 16 points in an incredible final quarter and saved the Celtics from elimination on Thursday by beating the Sixers 86-95 in Philadelphia.

Thus, this Eastern semifinal will be decided on Sunday in a seventh game in Boston (3-3).

Tatum was about to sign one of the worst games of his life (5 of 21 shots at the end) but in the final quarter he made four decisive triples for a total of 19 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Celtics star signed more points in that quarter (16) than the Sixers (13 in total) who collapsed at the end.

Marcus Smart (22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists) and Jaylen Brown (17 points and 6 rebounds) sustained Boston during Tatum’s slump, while Al Horford, who at times managed to neutralize Joel Embiid, had 2 points and 11 rebounds.

For the Sixers, who blew a golden opportunity to reach their first conference final since 2001, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who between them turned the game around several times and brought hope to their team, each contributed 26 points. The Cameroonian also added 10 rebounds.

James Harden added 13 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists on a gray 4-of-16 shooting.

Philadelphia couldn’t figure out Boston’s defense and was left at a poor 36.1% shooting from the field with 23.5% (8 of 34) from three-pointers.