Jokic s triple-double crushed Phoenix s defense, Booker struggled to swallow the home defeat alone

Under the Denver Nuggets' smooth team offense, the Phoenix Suns' home score of 111-133 reflected a completely different game story. Nikola Jokic energized the team with a perfect triple-double of 14 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists. Although Devin Booker scored 31 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, he failed to stop the team's 22-point defeat.

The first quarter epitomized the tone of the game. The Nuggets connected a nine-man scoring network with 13 assists, while the Suns were like a colander on the defensive end and were blasted by their opponents with a terrifying shooting rate of 72.2%. Booker started the solo savior mode in the second quarter, scoring 15 points in a single quarter with sudden inside and outside shots. However, Jokic used scalpel-like passes to accurately attack the Suns' defensive weakness, completing a triple-double milestone of 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at halftime.

Jokic became the first post player to achieve a triple-double in half in the past decade.

Booker scored 30+ points in a single game for the ninth time this season, and his shooting percentage remained above 55%.

The Nuggets forward group completely took over the game after changing sides. Aaron Gordon and Caldwell-Pope continued to exert pressure on both ends of the offense and defense, forcing the Suns to make 7 fatal turnovers. Jokic completely transformed into a court commander in the fourth quarter, assisting Bruce Brown to complete three baseline cuts. As the score difference exceeded the 30-point mark, the game entered training time four minutes early.

After this game, the Nuggets continued their unbeaten record against the top four teams in the Western Conference, and the Suns need to re-examine the loopholes in their defensive system before back-to-back schedules. When asked about how to limit the MVP-level center, Suns coach Monty Williams admitted that the team has obvious shortcomings in rebound protection and rotation speed, but emphasized that it will learn from the loss.

(Doctor)