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It’s the first time, but surely not the last, that you will see the Nuggets wanting to control tempo, not push it out of control.
Running with the Phoenix Suns is not something the Nuggets want to get into. Not anymore. Not after giving up 120 points in a loss in Phoenix on Wednesday. Not after allowing an average of 111.5 points to the Suns in four games — all losses — last season.
“If we haven’t learned yet that we can’t run with them, we’d better learn it by Friday,” Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. “We’re going to have to play a different style and try to make them grind it out against us in the half court.”
That’s because things got a little fast Wednesday. It’s right in the Suns’ wheelhouse, however, and given the quotes from Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek, they believe it’s still in the Nuggets’ wheelhouse too.
“That’s how they like to play,” Hornacek said, “and that’s how we want to play.”
Hornacek was half right. Denver now plans to hit the brakes.
“You might have to control the game a little bit more,” said Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo. “They’re versatile in the same way we are. They have guys all over the floor that can put the ball on the ground and make plays. A freelance game works out to their favor because they have a lot of playmakers on their team.
“So we might have to control the game a little bit once we get a lead and kind of dictate the pace a little bit more.”
The Nuggets had more fast-break points than the Suns (25-23) in the opener of their home-and-home series. The problem Wednesday was when the game got chaotic, the Suns thrived and Denver struggled. In scramble situations on defense, the Nuggets couldn’t identify shooters — and they paid for being late to contest shots. The Suns nailed 13 3-point shots, about five of which were halfway contested — meaning the defender got a late hand up. The majority were uncontested, and many came off second or third chances after the Suns grabbed offensive rebounds.
“They hit a lot of 3s or shots that are off balance,” said Nuggets guard Ty Lawson. “Not the normal shots that teams take. It’s tough. They’ve been doing that for the last few games against us and we’ve to figure out how to deal with it.”
Still, Afflalo noted, the Nuggets don’t want to go too far the other direction and get away from what they do in order to get their first win over Phoenix in two seasons.
“Hopefully we don’t overreact to losing to this team,” Afflalo said. “But we’ll see if we can bounce back immediately and stick to what we’ve been doing.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
PHOENIX AT DENVER 7 p.m. Friday, ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Gerald Green: Forgive the super-athletic Green for licking his chops whenever he sees the Nuggets next up on the schedule — he’s had big game after big game against them. Green is averaging 20 points and is shooting 49.2 percent, including 47.6 percent on 3-point attempts, in five games against the Nuggets in the last two seasons. Wednesday in Phoenix, he helped the Suns beat the Nuggets 120-112 with 24 points in 26 minutes off the bench.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: JaVale McGee is day to day because of pain in his left tibia. … Darrell Arthur had no significant issues Wednesday with a knee problem that caused him to remove himself from Denver’s previous game, against Chicago. He had six points and four rebounds in 17 minutes Wednesday. … Danilo Gallinari’s status for Friday’s rematch is uncertain because of soreness in his left knee.
Suns: Phoenix has had Brian Shaw’s number in his first two seasons as Denver’s coach. In exhibition games and regular-season games, the Suns are 6-0 against Shaw. … Isaiah Thomas (ankle) is questionable for Friday’s game. Thomas, the Suns’ leading scorer, didn’t play against the Nuggets on Wednesday. … Phoenix’s bench outscored Denver’s bench 44-32 on Wednesday. The Suns hit 52 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Christopher Dempsey, The Denver Post
