That, in turn, negatively affected Booker’s ability to maintain a groove. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic were crucial to Denver winning Game 5 of its series vs. But when you’re playing against a great player, you’ve got to get under their skin. He has respect from everybody in that locker room. “ was the defensive player of the game and I just felt he set the tone early on. “We took the challenge,” Denver coach Michael Malone said when asked how the Nuggets successfully held down the Suns stars in Game 5. It’s worth pondering whether the heavy minutes paired with the Nuggets physicality is starting to take a toll on Phoenix’s prolific scoring duo. The Suns own a record of 0-3 this postseason when opponents limit both Booker and Durant to fewer than 30 points. In 10 postseason outings, Booker hasn’t yet played fewer than 40 minutes while Kevin Durant has logged 42 minutes or more in all but one contest in this series. As for Denver, Jamal Murray is listed as questionable with an illness.Īll of the ailments serve as a testament to the physicality starting to take hold in a series that has already featured heavy minutes from Phoenix’s top producers. □️ We need YOU for Game 6: /CeqcQlAe7yīooker was not listed on Thursday’s injury report. Yet in the postgame locker room, the shooting guard walked around with a slight limp, despite saying the ankle “felt fine.” Booker re-entered the game with 8:49 left in the second quarter. Fouled on the play by Jeff Green, the 26-year-old knocked down a pair of free throws immediately after but checked out of the contest at the end of the quarter. In addition to Paul and Ayton, All-Star guard Devin Booker is dealing with an ankle injury.īooker landed awkwardly at the end of a drive to the rim with 2.4 remaining in the first quarter of Game 5. Trailing 3-2 in the series, Phoenix finds itself banged up and on the brink of elimination after Tuesday’s 118-102 loss in Game 5 to the top-seeded Denver Nuggets. But I’m careful not to because I haven’t had a report come to me that says, ‘OK, he’s 80%, 90%.’ I haven’t had that yet.” “He’s working out, but his status hasn’t changed,” Williams said. Paul suffered a left groin injury in Game 2, forcing him to sit out the last three games. The Suns officially ruled out Ayton about two hours before tip-off with a rib contusion he sustained during Game 5. Paul was ruled out on Wednesday after he participated in an extensive workout at the team’s practice facility, but coach Monty Williams pointed out “nothing has changed as far as availability.” PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns will be without point guard Chris Paul and center Deandre Ayton for Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets The Suns will be shorthanded without Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton for Game 6 in Phoenix.
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