On October 14, Beijing time, the NBA preseason continued, and the Nuggets lost to the Suns 114-118 at home, suffering three consecutive defeats in the preseason. Jokic and Wei Shao both played the first three quarters, Jokic contributed 21 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists in a quasi-triple-double, Wei Shao ushered in the Nuggets' home debut, shooting 3 of 8, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 9 points and 6 assists, it is worth mentioning that these 9 points came from the third quarter. The Suns' Durant, Beal and Booker are out for this game. The Nuggets led the Suns by as many as 13 points, and were reversed by the Suns in the final quarter, with Dunn doing well both offensively and defensively, contributing 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks and 6 three-pointers.
Statistics
Suns: Dunn 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks and 6 three-pointers, Morris 20 points, 7 assists and 2 steals, O'Neal 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, Bol Bol 14 points and 7 rebounds, Gillespie 12 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Plumlee 4 points and 7 rebounds
Nuggets: Jokic 21 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, Porter 21 points and 3 rebounds, Westbrook 9 points and 6 assists, Gordon 12 points and 5 rebounds, Braun 11 points and 4 rebounds, Strauser 21 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Nagy 11 points, Saric 6 points and 6 rebounds
The star of the game
Jokic played less than 30 minutes and had 21 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists. The Suns' Dunn was good both offensively and defensively, contributing 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks and 6 three-pointers.
Game recap
In the first quarter of the game, Porter sent a violent dunk at the beginning, and the Suns returned the color on the outside, O'Neal, Dunn, and Morris hit three three-pointers in a row, and Ball dunked, and the Suns led 11-5. The Nuggets' three-pointers also came, Braun and Porter hit three points in a row, Westbrook assisted Gordon for a dunk, and Jokic scored a layup. Westbrook assisted on Strawther to hit a three-pointer, and the Nuggets led the Suns 33-26 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Strawther scored five straight points, Bol Bol hit a three-pointer, and O'Neal also scored back-to-back points, and the Suns narrowed the gap to two points. Jokic turned around and dunked, Braun also sent a dunk, and Porter and Gordon hit three-pointers. The Suns, who lacked the Big Three, still struggled on the offensive end, and at halftime, the Nuggets led the Suns 60-51. In the first half, Jokic had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Gordon and Porter each scored 12 points, and Wei Shao made 0 of 4 and handed out 5 assists. The Suns had only Dunn score in double figures, contributing 10 points.
Yibian fought again, and the two sides continued to play with the main force, and only Wei Shao replaced Murray with the lineup change. Morris played well and became the Suns' main scoring point, and Wei Shao also turned on the offensive mode, and after two free throws and two hits, Jokic assisted Wei Shao in a row, allowing him to complete an empty dunk and hit a three-pointer. Wei Shao scored 9 points in a single quarter, and at the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets led the Suns 90-88.
In the final quarter, the Nuggets withdrew most of their main players, and Jokic-Wee stopped playing. Strausser and Dunn exchanged three-pointers, and Diakit also hit a three-pointer. Iguodalo hit a mid-range shot, Nagy answered with a three-pointer and Braun scored on a basket to give the Nuggets a two-point lead. Bol hit a three-pointer, Damion Lee scored five straight points, and Dunn hit another three-pointer to seal the win. The Suns overtook the Nuggets and eventually reversed to win.
Both sides start
Suns: Dunn, Morris, Ball, O'Neal, Plumlee
Nuggets: Murray, Braun, Porter, Gordon, Jokic