Three Takeaways From Suns' Series Win vs Clippers

The Phoenix Suns no longer have to worry about the Los Angeles Clippers following their Game 5 win to conclude the first-round series.

However, a tall task in the No. 1 seeded Denver Nuggets awaits the star-studded Suns. The Nuggets haven't been to the conference finals since the 2019-20 season while Phoenix swept Denver in the second round the following year.

While we await Game 1 of the second round on Saturday, let's go through our three biggest takeaways from the Suns' series victory over the Clippers:

KD-Book Just Might Be Unstoppable

What a dynamic these two bring to the table.

Even in a league where stars are clamoring to join forces with each other, the Suns have enjoyed the fruits of their trade for Kevin Durant by partnering him with Devin Booker.

There were concerns on how the two stars would adapt to each other, especially with the postseason arriving with little time on the court together.

However, they answered the bell as expected.

Booker and Durant scored at least 25 points in all five games played thus far, tying the great Los Angeles Lakers duo of Kobe Bryant/Shaquille O'Neal for the longest streak by a pair of teammates to begin a playoff run.

We've seen stints where both respective players have taken over games, and teams simply can't double team both at the same time.

“I just think the ability to put the ball in the hole in certain environments. Once you get to Game 3, 4, 5 in any series, your play calls are not going to be as effective and so when you can throw the ball to two guys and sometimes three guys that can just go get a bucket, that’s playoff basketball," Suns coach Monty Williams said of the Booker-Durant pairing.

"I think what we have to do in continuing to get better at is spacing around those guys and when they trap Devin or trap Kevin, having a designate flash guy to make plays. I thought JO (Josh Okogie) did a decent job of that, but those two guys score in bunches and they score on every level and I still think we can do a better job of finding Kevin, especially in transition. There were a few times I thought we could have found him for a transition three, so we probably left some on the table with him.”

At least for now, this has to be the best pairing in the NBA.

Lack of Depth is Still Scary

A small part as to the great numbers Durant/Booker have put up has been a result of a top-heavy rotation. Little talent exists for the Suns to comfortable sit their stars down for reliable minutes each night.

That just might be a problem for a Nuggets team that's considerably deeper on paper, and though those windows of time where the secondary units are out will be kept to a minimum, margins of error only get thinner the deeper you go into the postseason.

It's unrealistic to hope both Phoenix's starting lineup can keep their minutes and efficiency up with little help from the bench. Perhaps Cam Payne's presence will interject a different look in the second round, but it's tough to feel confident in the Suns' bench making a difference when called upon.

Expect Different Looks From Monty

Now with the Suns having a full playoff series under their belt, Suns coach Monty Williams should be able to assess which lineups were/weren't impactful before moving forward.

That was slightly hinted at last game when Torrey Craig started before Josh Okogie played 33 minutes off the bench in Game 5 against LA. Payne's previously alluded to presence should also help change rotations as he settles back into his role as a backup point guard to Chris Paul.

The Nuggets are also night and day different than the Clippers, just in terms of their personnel and how they operate. If we've learned anything, Williams is not afraid to jumble his looks and lineups based on matchups - though we'll have to see if that features somebody like Jock Landale receiving more playing time or Okogie plugged back in as a starter.

Don't expect the Suns to look exactly like they did last series.