The Nuggets sail past the Suns in Game 6, advancing to the Western Conference Finals

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Nikola Jokic Scored 32 points in another triple-double, Jamal Murray 26 and added Denver Nuggets It advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2020 by defeating Short Hand Phoenix Suns 125-100 in Game 6 Thursday night.

Denver’s victory in the series comes two seasons after the Nuggets were embarrassed in the second round by being swept by the Suns. This time, the sun was setting out on their home turf to finish the season for the second year in a row.

The Nuggets will play in the Conference Finals for the first time since losing to the Lakers In five games in the Florida bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have never reached the NBA Finals.

The Nuggets used a higher seeded 23-2 going into the final game of the first quarter to take a 44-26 lead and never looked back. Kentavius Caldwell Pope – Averaged 9.5 points in playoffs – Scored 17 in the first quarter while Jokic added 14.

Caldwell Pope finished with 21 points. Jokic shot 13 of 18 from the field and added 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Denver’s offense continued into the second half, growing the lead to 81–51 by halftime, drawing boos from Suns fans as the players made their way to the locker room. The second half was basically an afterthought.

Cameron Payne Scored 31 points for Phoenix, hitting 7 of 9 3-pointers. Kevin Durant 23 added.

The Suns were playing without injured players Deender Eaton And Chris Paul. Ayton suffered a rib bruise in Game 5 on Tuesday, while Paul has missed the last four games with a strained left groin.

Phoenix was eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals at home for the second consecutive season despite a stellar final trade for Durant, a 13-time All-Star and one of the game’s most prolific scorers. The 34-year-old had some good moments in the playoffs, but hit only one of his first 10 shots on Thursday as the Suns fell into a big hole.

guard of the suns Devin Booker He was outstanding for most of the postseason, averaging 36 points per game for 60% going into the sixth game. But the three-time All-Star finished with just 12 points on Thursday.

The home team won the first five games of the series until the Nuggets took a lead in Game Six.

For the Suns, the loss was eerily similar to Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals last year.

Phoenix, who has the best record in the NBA, has fallen behind dallas by 30 points in the first half and ended up losing 123-90 to end his season.

In the shot clock era, the home team has trailed by more than 30 points in a potential elimination game only three times. Phoenix is now in charge of two of them. the other was dollars in 2015.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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