The Denver Nuggets started Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns a little slow, but things quickly ramped up as the first quarter moved along. With just under four minutes remaining in the first, the score was 23-24 in favor of Phoenix. Led by 31 combined points from Nikola Jokic and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Nuggets carried a 44-26 lead into the second quarter while holding Devin Booker and Kevin Durant to a combined seven points on 2-of-13 shooting.

The Suns worked on cutting into the deficit to start the second quarter, but, with the Nuggets starters back in the game, the lead just continued to grow. Every time the Suns would make a shot, the Nuggets would respond with two of their own. They were playing swarming defense on one end, and they were working at a nearly flawless clip on the other end. Heading into the half, the Nuggets were leading 81-51 while shooting 61.7 percent from the field and making only four triples in the first half. Durant and Booker had combined for 19 points on 6-of-23 shooting from the floor, and they were going to need huge second halves to get the Suns back into the game.

Coming out of the halftime break, the start of the third quarter was similar to the second for the Nuggets. They were slow to get rolling on the offensive end, and the Suns were working their way back into the game. They were chipping away at the deficit, and they were forcing the Nuggets to take bad shots. Late in the quarter, with Jokic on the bench, the Nuggets went on a late run, and they took a 103-76 lead into the final period just 12 minutes away from securing a trip to the Conference Finals.

With the final quarter underway, the Suns started the fourth with some fire, and they were working to pull off the miracle comeback in this one. The Nuggets continued chugging away on offense, and, with a little over six minutes remaining in the game, it looked as though the Suns were waving the white flag with Durant and Booker both grabbing a seat on the bench. The Suns were continuing to put points on the board, but the Nuggets were just gradually salting this one away. They would be heading to the Conference Finals where they would match up with the winner of the series between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. With just under three minutes left in the game, the Nuggets had pulled the majority of their starters while up by 22, and they were just a couple of minutes away from officially closing this one out. The Nuggets would clinch their series victory by a score of 125-100.

Stat Leaders

Points: Nikola Jokic – 32

Assists: Nikola Jokic – 12

Rebounds: Jokic – 10

Player of the Game: Nikola Jokic – 32 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block 13-of-18 field goal, 0-of-1 3-point, 6-of-6 free throw