By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The next edition of NBA Saturdays will feature Game 1 of the best-of-seven series between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns.
Nikola Jokic previewing the Western Conference Semifinals considered the opponents as the most likely team to go all the way in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
“Probably, they are the favorites to win the championship. They have an amazing group of guys. Well-coached. There is Chris Paul who is probably the best floor general in the game. Booker and KD are superstars, arguably the best players in the NBA right now,” he continued on the depth of the Suns during the postgame press conference following the series-ending Game 5 versus the Minnesota Timberwolves in Ball Arena Tuesday, “It’s a very big challenge for us.”
Staying in Denver with a three-day window before the start of the next series is an added bonus for the Nuggets carrying the homecourt advantage as the top-seeded team in the West’s Playoffs bracket. “Of course, the rest helps,” noted the Joker, “OK, we won the first round and now it’s another step. We need the same focus or even better for the next round.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday. Switching to Phoenix, Game 3 will be held next Friday, and Game 4 next Sunday.
At the top of his fifth postseason campaign in the NBA, Serbia’s own, the leader of the Nuggets, averaged 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per contest, including a couple of triple-doubles as his side knocked out the Timberwolves in five games.
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