The Phoenix Suns are eager to win the championship this season, but their record and ranking are not very good. At the beginning of the season, the Suns were ranked first in the West with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss, but after Kevin Durant got injured, it became particularly difficult for the Suns to win games. Therefore, everyone in the league knows that with Durant, the Suns are a championship-level strong team; without Durant, they are just a weak team. This is the embodiment of a superstar's leadership ability. Not only does Durant have strong leadership skills, but he also has a keen eye for talent. He has indeed won big with his bet, scoring 72 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out 14 assists. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic, who shot 3 out of 11, could only feel helpless.
In the matchup between the Suns and the Nuggets, Devin Booker was absent due to injury, while the Nuggets had a full-strength lineup. However, Durant, Beal, and Tyus Jones all exploded, combining for 72 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists to lead the team to victory. Despite Jokic's impressive performance of 25 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, it wasn't enough to save the game for the Nuggets. Typically, when Jokic has fewer than 5 assists, the Nuggets struggle to win; when he has more than 10 assists, they easily secure victories.
Durant and Beal were particularly heroic in the crucial fourth quarter, with Beal continuously making key shots and demonstrating great offensive prowess. The Nuggets' starting guards, Jamal Murray and Bones Hyland, were completely overwhelmed by the Suns' Beal and Tyus Jones. Beal scored an efficient 27 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, made 4 steals, and had 1 block, excelling on both offense and defense. Tyus Jones shot 7 out of 9, scoring 17 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and making 2 steals. On the other hand, Jamal Murray shot 3 out of 11, scoring only 13 points with a game-low plus-minus of -16. Bones Hyland shot 2 out of 7, scoring 5 points.
Since joining the Suns this season, Tyus Jones has been outstanding, not only scoring efficiently but also showing strong passing and organizing abilities with many assists and very few turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 6.5 is the best in the league. Durant's bet has indeed paid off, as Tyus Jones was personally recruited by him, and KD has proven his judgment correct. The Suns' starting lineup of Durant, Booker, Beal, Jones, and Nurkic is indeed formidable, but maintaining health is a greater challenge for them. When the Suns' three superstars play together, they not only beat the Nuggets but also other strong teams like the Thunder.
Jamal Murray has not been having an accurate shooting night for just one game; this season, his stats and efficiency have been declining sharply. Despite recently signing a four-year, 208milliontopsalarycontract,hisvaluewillonlycontinuetorise.Murrayhashadmultiplegamesthisseasonwherehisshootinghasbeenpoor,suchasgoing1for7,2for9,and4for15insinglegames,withmoreandmoregameswherehescoresinsingledigits.Withasalaryexceeding50 million, playing so poorly, it's no wonder that as the team leader, Jokic feels helpless.
Many fans believe that Russell Westbrook has performed better, more efficiently, and more consistently than Murray this season. Most importantly, Westbrook's defense this season has been excellent, stronger than Murray's. According to NBA statistics, Westbrook has averaged 18.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.3 steals in his last six games, with a shooting percentage of 50.2%. Westbrook is indeed becoming more and more outstanding, and his cooperation with Jokic is becoming more and more默契. This season, the number of times Jokic and Westbrook have connected is even more frequent and efficient than with Murray. Many fans are calling for Nuggets coach Michael Malone to start Westbrook alongside Jokic.
