Just a couple of months ago, the entire NBA circle had the Suns pegged as the favorites to make the NBA Finals. They landed Kevin Durant and formed a formidable core of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, and Durant.Â
COLUMN: FLAGRANT FACTS
By: Jack Fredericks
A weekly NBA column where we go buzzer to buzzer to buzzer with the book.
The one common denominator between Miami and New York is both clubs advanced to the conference semifinals despite being the lower seed in the opening round of the playoffs. But that is where the similarities end.Â
Today’s matchup features the top-seeded Denver Nuggets taking on the No. 4 seed Phoenix Suns. Let’s see which team has the edge and why heading into a must-win Game 4 for the home team.
Despite the absence of Joel Embiid in the series opener, the Sixers stole Game 1 on the road 119-115. Without the team’s top player in the lineup, someone needed to step and James Harden was up to the task.Â
The Suns may be without Chris Paul, and they need to find a way to stop Nikola Jokic if they want to win this game. The game will be aired on ESPN beginning at 10 p.m. ET.Â
When it was all said and done, what once was a very competitive, nip-and-tuck contest, turned into a 120-100 victory for the road team. With the win, the Warriors move on to the next round to face the Los Angeles Lakers.Â
Our marquee matchup for this weekend features the Golden State Warriors taking on the Sacramento Kings. So, with further ado, let’s look at where things stand through the first three games and see who has the edge in Game 4.Â
The Knicks took Game 1 before the Cavs responded with a Game 2 victory. However, Game 3 was ugly and reminded everybody of 1990s basketball with a final score of 99-79 with the Knicks winning at Madison Square Garden.Â
With the possibility of falling into an 0-3 hole, two of Atlanta’s key players – Trae Young and Dejounte Murray — turned in solid performances. Young scored a game-high of 32 points on 12-for-22 shooting from the field, including 2-for-6 from beyond the arc. He also had nine assists and pulled down six rebounds.