The Denver Nuggets edge out the Suns.
The Denver Nuggets got themselves another win. Increasing their lead atop the Western Conference. However, make no mistake there are two things the Denver Nuggets are fighting for.
Firstly, the Denver Nuggets want to remain the number one team in the West. Thereby retaining home court advantage when the playoffs come around.
Which brings us to our 2nd point. The Denver Nuggets other overriding goal is to play basketball at the highest level they are capable of. After all, being the number one team in the West is different from being the best team in the NBA.
Next we take a closer look at the quality of the basketball played by the Denver Nuggets last night.
Winner takes All
Much like their games against the Spurs, the Denver Nuggets got off to a quick start against the Suns. However, Denver may have been the beneficiary of slow starts from both the Spurs and the Suns.
Kudos to the Nuggets for being ready to play from the buzzer. That, is absolutely amazing!
However, for the Denver Nuggets to fulfill their championship potential, they will need to be elite at imposing their will on their competition. By becoming proficient in forcing their opponents into taking bad shots with sound defense.
On a night where the Nuggets shot 55.3% from the field, 51.4% from 3 and 76.9% from the charity stripe, the team won by 4 points.
The Denver Nuggets Need More Communication
Are the Denver Nuggets being economical with their efforts, taking breaks where they can get them during the 82 games long season? Maybe.
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It is possible that the Nuggets have a feel for what is needed to put games away. On the other hand, (going back to our second point from the intro) the Denver Nuggets could have played even better.
One of the main mistakes made by Denver was their (21) turnovers. On offense, there is absolutely no reason for doubt or gambling.
If a pass is questionable there always needs to be another option. At times Jokic, Monte and the rest of the Nuggets gamble on a play. The primary reason behind this? It is the only option left to them. That needs to change and the catalyst for that change has to be communication.
All About Control
In an ideal world, the Nuggets offense should stretch the opposing defense through a multi-faceted offense that is happening at the same time.
Making it impossible for the defense to know what is coming next. Whilst also opening up a range of options for the ball-handler.
Freeing them from having to gamble to make the only play possible. There is nothing wrong with controlling the tempo of a game to take rests followed by concerted attacks. On the contrary, this is what the Nuggets need to be doing instead of the one-play gambles.
Additionally, Denver turned the ball over from getting blocked too (5) many times.
The Nuggets awareness around the rim has to be better. Too many assumptions were made unnecessarily. Why assume when you can simply check on the defense with your eyes?
Surprising at it may be to some, the Nuggets played solid defense. It is the smaller details that Denver have to take care of.
With Deandre Ayton having 10 offensive rebounds, Denver clearly needs to do a better job of boxing out.
All in all, this was a big win against a resurgent Suns team that is a lot better than their wins total indicates.
This game should help the Nuggets be prepared for their next game on Tuesday against the New York Knicks.
The Mile High City takes on the city that never sleeps. More fun to come!!!