With three games remaining in the season, the Phoenix Suns are comfortable in their fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns are hosting the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, who are currently in in first place and looking to finish there. As such, Denver elected to sit most of their core players against Phoenix.
Despite the Nuggets being without the bulk of their frontrunners, they were able to put up a compelling contest in the first half.
The Suns were able to separate themselves by a small margin, leading 56-55 at the half.
Durant Has a Cold First Half
The Suns have a good-luck charm when it comes to Kevin Durant. Aside from the 6’10” forward being a superstar acquisition, which correlates to the Suns’ success, Phoenix is undefeated when he’s in the lineup.
During the first half, he was able to score 11 points while grabbing five rebounds. He shot 4-of-10 from the floor.
In the first quarter, he scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting along with three rebounds. Durant hasn’t had the best outing given the Nuggets being shorthanded.
In four games since returning from his ankle injury, he’s shot 58 percent from the floor. The hope is that his second-half scoring proves successful once more.
Nuggets Causing Turnovers
The Suns are averaging 13.7 turnovers per game this season, placing them at 13th in the league. Being in the middle of the pack has proven to be successful for Phoenix this season.
In the second quarter, however, Denver was able to disrupt the Suns’ flow on offense. With that, it allowed role players for the Nuggets to keep them in the contest.
Phoenix committed four turnovers in the second quarter alone, pushing them closer to the season average. Durant was responsible for three of those turnovers in the quarter.
The Suns aren’t in danger of losing their position in the playoff standings. Still, having such a close contest while being at full strength certainly isn’t a positive.
