The Phoenix Suns are in a tough spot in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets. They were unable to steal home court in the first two games of the NBA playoff series, as they are now down 2-0 heading back home for Games 3 and 4.
After getting blown out 125-107 in Game 1, the Suns battled back in Game 2. But, an injury to Chris Paul derailed their chances of winning as they scored only 18 points in the final 16:32. When Paul exited the game with his groin injury, Phoenix led 59-55, but they ended up losing the game 97-87.
During practice this week, head coach Monty Williams touched on some adjustments that could be coming in Game 3. He mentioned getting some more scorers on the court to help take pressure off of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Without Paul in the lineup, they are going to be relied upon to do all of the heavy lifting offensively, scoring and playmaking.
“I can do a better job of putting more scorers on the floor and living with whatever warts may come with that just to free those guys up so they don’t have to do it every single time down the floor,” Williams said recently after one of the team’s practices. “We’ll make those adjustments accordingly.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Phoenix Suns & Denver Nuggets Updates
Durant struggled with his shot in Game 2, going 10-of-27 from the field and 2-of-12 from 3-point range. Williams has been reluctant to give more responsibility to Booker, whose plate is already full. The All-Star is already averaging 35.4 points and 6.6 assists in 43 minutes per game this postseason.
Who could step into the rotation, especially with Paul injured? Cameron Payne will see his role increase for sure as he was backing up Paul. But, Williams also mentioned two more players who could see minutes in Game 3 and beyond; Terrence Ross and T.J. Warren.
“Those are two guys that could see significantly more time,” Williams continued in regard to Ross and Warren. “Those kinds of decisions only hurt you when you have an injury. Then you wish you could’ve got those guys a bit more reps to prepare for that.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Phoenix Suns & Denver Nuggets Updates
Ross and Warren have appeared in two games apiece, mostly in garbage time with only 15 combined minutes of play. Throwing them into the playoff fire is certainly a risk, but drastic times call for drastic measures. Desperate for a win, Williams is willing to try anything to get the team on track.
As evident by the shooting performance in Game 2, the Suns could certainly use some more offensive firepower. Easing them into the rotation during a home game instead of in a hostile environment on the road would certainly be a good place to start.
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