Denver Nuggets thinking sweep as the series shifts to Phoenix

Nikola Jokic isn't thinking about just splitting the two games in Arizona, he wants both to be Nuggets wins

May 4, 2023, 3:14 PM

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Nikola Jokic dominated the Phoenix Suns in the Mile High City as his 63 points, 35 rebounds and 10 assists pushed the Denver Nuggets to two wins as the series heads to the desert.

With three rest days, the Nuggets will finally tip off up 2-0 on Friday night. Teams that take the first two games of an NBA series are 225-22 all-time but nobody in league history has ever come back from down 3-0. This makes it all the more important, albeit not essential, that the Nuggets steal a game from the Suns on their home court.

But Jokic isn’t thinking about just splitting the two games, he wants both.

“Why one? We are going to play both games to win,” Jokic said. “This is a must-win for us, we have momentum, we have the lead. Why not (win two?)”

The Nuggets were swept out of the second round by the Suns two seasons ago. Both teams have undergone significant changes in recent years though. Still, the star player, coach and some of the core are the same. Not only would it be revenge, it’d be slaying a demon in the Suns.

Two of the 22 teams to flip a 2-0 deficit into a series win involved the Suns blowing it. Last season the Suns lost to the Mavericks and the Bucks overcame 2-0 to win four straight to win a title in 2021. So the Suns will be trying to inverse their curse.

Meanwhile, they’ll be trying to make rare NBA history without future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, who is expected to miss both games this weekend.

Friday’s game will be the first for Jokic on the court since the MVP was announced, where he finished runner-up to Joel Embiid, although he’s said over and over he doesn’t care, may it have a bit of extra fuel for Denver’s star big?

The Nuggets have never swept a best-of-seven series and only have been up 3-0 twice, including in Round 1 against the Wolves.

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