Kevin Durant and Devin Booker look to continue their high scoring ways when they lead the Phoenix Suns into Denver on Tuesday night for Game 5 of their second round NBA playoff series.
Game time is set for 10:00 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. BetOnline has the Nuggets as -5 point favorites with the total at 227.5/-110.
Denver and the LA Lakers (+185) are now co-favorites to win the Western Conference. The Nuggets at +450 are the third choice to take the NBA title behind the Celtics +165 and Lakers +400.
Phoenix Suns (51-40, 2-2)
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant scored 36 points apiece as the Suns recorded a 129-124 victory over the Nuggets on Sunday night. It evened their Western Conference semifinals at two games apiece.
Devin Booker is MASTERFUL once again as the @suns win Game 4 to even the series!
36 PTS
12 AST (Playoff career high)
14-18 FGPHX/DEN Game 5: Tues, 10pm/et | TNT pic.twitter.com/XpNs3Slshx
— NBA (@NBA) May 8, 2023
Booker was 14-for-18 with 12 assists while Durant added 11 rebounds and six assists.
Landry Shamet became a surprise hero off the bench scoring 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter:
LANDRY SHAMET.
FEELIN' IT.4 THREES IN Q4 🔥
PHX by 10 midway through Q4 on TNT. pic.twitter.com/tofU2zZtVv
— NBA (@NBA) May 8, 2023
Shamet a factor on defense too
Aside from Durant and Booker scoring seemingly at will, there was one other takeaway from Game 4. It was Shamet’s defense on Jamal Murray. Murray had just 13 points while Shamet was on him and they weren’t all easy looks. Phoenix needed someone who could bother Murray defensively, and Shamet proved to be that guy on Sunday. It worked in Game 4, and if Shamet can keep that going, then that’s one less offensive threat Phoenix has to worry about.
Denver Nuggets (59-32, 2-2)
Nikola Jokic did everything he could to will the Nuggets to victory. The Joker scored 53 points, his career best in the postseason or the regular season:
Nikola Jokic sets the @nuggets record for points in a Playoff game in Game 4 👏
53 PTS
11 AST
20-30 FGPHX/DEN Game 5 | Tues, 10pm/et | TNT pic.twitter.com/i952K7gdpe
— NBA (@NBA) May 8, 2023
Jokic hit 20 of 30 field goal attempts and also had 11 assists.
Jamal Murray contributed 28 points and seven assists and Michael Porter Jr. added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets.
In Search of Defense
After Game 4, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said that Denver left its defense back at home, after Booker and Durant torched them in back-to-back games. That will be the biggest focus for the Nuggets in Game 5, because it was clear that regardless of the number of points Jokic put up, it didn’t mean anything when they couldn’t get a stop on the other end.
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