After winning the previous two games, Bahamian professional basketball player DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns fell to the Denver Nuggets, 118-102, and now trail three games to two in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series in the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs.
The Suns have not won a game on the Nuggets' home floor, inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, and that remained the same on Tuesday.
Ayton, who may have suffered a possible rib injury in the first quarter, was one rebound shy of recording his first double-double of the series. He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds that included four offensive boards and five defensive boards. The big man went 7-for-12 from the field in 32 minutes of play. He had one assist, two steals, and a blocked shot. He was a minus 21 in the plus-minus category.
It was a competitive game at the half with the Nuggets leading just 52-49. The turning point for the game came in the third quarter when the Nuggets outscored the Suns 39-25 to lead 91-74 heading into the fourth quarter.
Ayton is having a tough time with his assignment which is guarding two-time Kia Most Valuable Player (MVP) Nikola Jokic. On Tuesday, Jokic finished with a triple-double going for 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.
It was not a good start to the game for Ayton in the first quarter as he shot 1-for-4 from the field. He picked it up later in the quarter going 2-for-2 from the field. He scored six points and grabbed four rebounds to go with a steal while dealing with an apparent rib injury. However, the Nuggets led 35-24 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bahamian was quiet in the second quarter but came away with a plus-seven in that quarter. The Suns played a strong quarter, outscoring the Nuggets, 25-17.
The Nuggets shot 70 percent from the field in the third quarter, and had a commanding lead going into the fourth. The Suns shot 41.7 percent from the field in that quarter.
The tale of the series has been on the rebounding front where the team that controls the boards usually controls the game. The Nuggets won the battle of the boards, 50-42.
After averaging a double-double in the first round with 16 points and 11.2 boards per game, Ayton's average took a dip in this series. He is averaging 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He is shooting 57.8 percent from the field. The big man has not been to the free throw line much in this round, only going to the line five times and making two of them. He went to the line 18 times in the first round.
In a must-win game six, the Suns welcome the Nuggets back to the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, for their final home game in the series. That game will get underway at 10 o'clock tonight and will be broadcasted on ESPN.
The post Ayton, Suns on the brink of elimination appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.The post Ayton, Suns on the brink of elimination appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
