![]() The last time Jokic and Ayton met in the playoffs, Phoenix swept Denver in the 2021 West semifinals. Shaq, Charles, Kenny and EJ preview the upcoming Suns-Nuggets series.īattle in the paint: The big men own seven victories apiece in head-to-head matchups, but Jokic would gladly take Deandre Ayton’s 4-0 record against the Nuggets in the postseason. So, expect copious buckets from a couple of teams that enter the second round relatively healthy. When the clubs clashed again for the last two matchups of the regular season over a span of seven days (March 31 to April 6), Jokic was out of the lineup due to a calf injury.īoth players serve as catalysts for two of the three highest-rated offenses left in the playoffs. Phoenix ousted the shorthanded LA Clippers just hours later in that series’ Game 5 as Devin Booker scored 25 points in the third quarter (and finished with a postseason career-high-tying 47 points) in a 136-130 victory.Īlthough the teams faced off four times in the regular season - each team won twice - Durant wasn’t yet a member of the Suns when Denver defeated them by a combined 32 points in the first two meetings prior to the All-Star break. When that happens, reigning two-time Kia MVP Nikola Jokic will lead the Denver Nuggets against a star-studded Phoenix squad headlined by 2014 MVP Kevin Durant and All-Star guard Devin Booker.īoth teams handled their business quickly in eliminating their first-round opponents in five games.ĭenver punched its ticket to the next round first on Tuesday, outlasting the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-109 in Game 5 behind a 28-point triple-double from Jokic and a game-high 35 points from Jamal Murray. Three of the most likely candidates to capture the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy - the award given to the Western Conference finals MVP - hit the floor Saturday for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals at Ball Arena. Nikola Jokic and Deandre Ayton’s last playoff matchup was in the 2021 semifinals, a 4-0 sweep by the Suns.
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