The Suns are now missing not one, but two key players for Game 6

Jamal Murray’s status is in doubt for Thursday’s Game 6 between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns but without a doubt, the home team will be without two important players.

Both Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton will miss the massive Game 6 in the desert. Paul has been out since Game 2 with a groin injury while Ayton got banged up in Denver’s Game 5 win and is out for Game 6.

It looked like a knee Ayton took to the ribs on Tuesday. We walked out with him postgame and he was laboring a bit and still in a lot of pain. I know how everyone is going to react to this but he has played through a ton over his career. Gotta be brutal to try and play through. https://t.co/9eScW37Ifz

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) May 11, 2023

Backup center Jock Landale has been really solid in the series that Denver leads 3-2. But Nikola Jokic has also cooked whoever the Suns have thrown the two-time MVP’s way, going for 53 in Game 4 followed by a huge triple-double in Game 5.

Ayton is the former No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft and averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds in what many thought was a down season. In this second-round matchup with the Nuggets, he’s been held to 10.2 points per game and 8.2 rebounds while getting benched multiple times. Landale has filled in, stepping up from a third-string role after passing Bismack Biyombo on the depth chart. Biyombo will not be relied on as well without Landale as the Suns will need to slow Jokic to keep their season alive.

The Suns went 9-6 without Ayton this season. But since trading for Kevin Durant the Suns have gotten a lot thinner, and now without two of their big four players, they’ll need a ton from a cast who has been inconsistent albeit good at home in Games 3 and 4.

***

Related

Nuggets take big tumble on ESPN’s future power rankingsBruce Brown signs tryout deal with reigning champs KnicksReport: Nuggets linked to young scoring forward with upsideAaron Gordon on Peyton Watson’s exit: ‘Deeper than basketball’Nikola Jokic was asked who guards him best, here’s his answerSean McVay goes viral for telling funny Nikola Jokic story