By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The Denver Nuggets were in a win-or-go-home situation for Game 4 and did indeed put up a fight but couldn’t stay alive in the series against the Phoenix Suns who got a 125-118 road win to complete the sweep 4-0.
Although the Nuggets were within one possession (71-70) in the third quarter, Phoenix quickly responded and created a 16-point advantage by the end of the period (96-80).
Nikola Jokic’s ejection after a flagrant 2 foul on Cameron Payne was a big part of the Nuggets’ fall but that doesn’t take away anything from the Suns’ display throughout the series in which they without a doubt proved to be a better team. It was a sweep after all.
“I wanted to change the rhythm of the game, I wanted to give us some energy, maybe change the whistle a little bit, so I wanted to make a hard foul. Did I hit him, did I not hit him? We don’t know. So I say sorry if I did because I did not want to injure him or hit him in the head on purpose,” Jokic explained after the game while adding he did not expect an ejection.
Chris Paul and Devin Booker were leading the charge with 37 and 34 points respectively. Paul also dished seven assists while Booker grabbed 11 rebounds.
On Denver’s side, recently crowned MVP Nikola Jokic had managed to put up 22 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists prior to the ejection. The Joker became the fifth MVP in league history get swept, joining Magic Johnson (1989 finals), Moses Malone (1979 first round), Abdul-Jabbar (1977 conference finals) and Wes Unseld (1969 conference semifinals).
The Suns will face off in the Western Conference Finals against the winner of the series between the Utah Jazz and the LA Clippers. Clippers won Game 3 and cut the gap to 2-1.