Suns Crumble in Game 2 Loss to Nuggets

The Phoenix Suns now face the reality of being down 2-0 to the Denver Nuggets after their 97-87 Game 2 loss.

On a night where Jamal Murray struggled (he started 1-10 shooting after leading all players with 34 points in Game 1) it was Nikola Jokic who stepped up in major fashion with 39 points and 15 rebounds.

Devin Booker again led the way for Phoenix's scoring efforts with 35 points. Kevin Durant trailed behind with 24 of his own.

The dynamic of the game changed when Chris Paul limped to locker room with an apparent groin injury with roughly five minutes left in the third quarter. The Suns quickly ruled Paul out for the remainder of the night with left groin soreness.

Denver, looking to capitalize off that, went on a nice run to regain the league as Phoenix went 0-9 to start fourth quarter. The Nuggets outscored the Suns 27-14 in the final 12 minutes of play to secure the series lead heading back to the Valley.

On a night where Phoenix tried to attack the basket and draw fouls, the Suns' first free throw attempts 8:05 mark in third quarter.

Denver's three-point shooting finally cooled off, making just 7-27 attempts. However, the Suns shot a horrid 6-31 from downtown. They led by as much as eight points before Paul left the action.

Phoenix's bench again failed to produce anything, especially when Paul left. With four players who played ten minutes or more coming off the pine, the Suns only received four bench points.

Game 3 will be Friday back in Phoenix.