(Basketball news) The Denver Nuggets steam rolled past the Phoenix Suns in game 6 to seal the series 4-2 as they won 125-100. For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic scored 32 points in another triple-double, Jamal Murray added 26 points as they advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since the 2020 Western Conference finals where they were beaten by the Lakers. Jokic shot 13 of 18 from the field and added 12 assists and 10 rebounds, it was subsequently his fourth triple-double of the postseason in 11 games while Caldwell-Pope finished with 21 points.
For the Suns, Cameron Payne scored 31 points for hitting 7 of 9 3-pointers while Kevin Durant added 23 as Devin Booker suffered an off night scoring only 12 points. The Suns were playing without injured starters Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul but it ended a disappointing season especially after they were considered favorites for the title after the Kevin Durant trade.
“When we defend, when we rebound, when we run, when we share the ball, we believe we’re the best team in the NBA,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “And tonight, we showed it.”
“We were the aggressors the whole game,” Jokic said. “Especially the first half. We were just really good.”
“It was deflating to see them score like that and running down the floor getting easy buckets,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “That falls on my shoulders not having us ready to play at the highest level in the biggest game of the year.”
“It was a bad feeling,” Durant said. “It was embarrassing. They came out and got us in the mouth and we couldn’t recover.”
The Boston Celtics bounced back in emphatic fashion as they beat the Philadelphia 76ers 95-86 in game 6 to tie the series 3-3 and play game 7 at Boston. For the Celtics, Tatum finished with 19 points on just 5-for-21 shooting but he scored all points in a 14-3 run that turned the game in their favor in the 4th quarter as Marcus Smart top scored with 22 points and Jaylen Brown had 17 points.
For the 76ers, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each scored 26 points. Now game 7 will be played at the TD Garden as Celtics are looking to make it back to back conference championship while Sixers are looking for their first Eastern Conference title since 2001.
“I love you,” Mazzulla told Tatum. “That’s a pretty powerful statement.”
“I kept looking at the time,” Tatum said. “I’ve got time, I’ve got time to make a difference. I believed that the whole time.”
“I told him a lot of times, ‘I got your back. We’re in this together,’” Tatum said. “I love the relationship that me and Joe have.”
“If I have to go to war, Game 7 in Boston, I would want to go with this group,” Maxey said. “I know we’ve got some fighters, I know we’ve got some resilient guys. I’m ready to get it on.”
Also read: NBA: Warriors keep the series alive against the Lakers while Knicks win game 5
