Suns take 1-0 lead into game 2 against the Nuggets
Denver Nuggets (47-25, third in the Western Conference during the regular season) vs. Phoenix Suns (51-21, second in the Western Conference during the regular season)
Phoenix; Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Suns lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Phoenix Suns host the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference second round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Suns won the previous matchup 122-105. Mikal Bridges scored 23 points to lead Phoenix to the win and Nikola Jokic totaled 22 points in defeat for Denver.
The Suns are 30-12 in Western Conference games. Phoenix is fourth in the Western Conference shooting 37.8% from deep, led by Cameron Payne shooting 44% from 3-point range.
The Nuggets are 26-16 against Western Conference opponents. Denver is fifth in the Western Conference allowing only 110.1 points while holding opponents to 46.9% shooting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Chris Paul leads the Suns with 8.9 assists and scores 16.4 points per game. Devin Booker is averaging 24.4 points and 4.4 assists over the last 10 games for Phoenix.
Jokic leads the Nuggets with 10.8 rebounds and averages 26.4 points. Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 14.6 points and 5.6 rebounds over the last 10 games for Denver.
DURING THE PLAYOFFS: Suns: Averaging 106.6 points, 42.1 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 98.6 points on 42.2% shooting.
Nuggets: Averaging 118.6 points, 43.9 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.9 points on 48.5% shooting.
INJURIES: Suns: Abdel Nader: out (knee).
Nuggets: PJ Dozier: out (adductor), Jamal Murray: out for season (knee), Will Barton: out (hamstring).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.