The Denver Nuggets, on the second night of a back-to-back without four of their five starters, fought valiantly but ultimately lost 100-93 to the vaunted Phoenix Suns.

After a poor showing the previous night, the Nuggets had even fewer players at their disposal on the road against an elite team. Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope didn’t make the trip. It would be up to Aaron Gordon and the Nuggets reserves to keep the game close in a difficult environment.

The Nuggets were trailing by as many as 27 points in the second half, but they never quit. Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown were a big reason for that. Gordon posted 26 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, shooting 10-of-23 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 4-of-10 from the free throw line. The shooting efficiency certainly has to improve, but Gordon shouldered a heavy burden on both ends of the floor tonight and played really well in a crowd. Brown wasn’t an efficient scorer either, but his drives to the rim were really important, especially in transition. He also guarded Devin Booker reasonably well, holding the Suns star guard to 27 points on 9-of-20 from the field.

Ultimately, the Nuggets scored just 93 points and didn’t have enough offensive firepower to get past Kevin Durant and the Suns in this matchup; however, it was interesting to see Denver defend reasonably well. They fought hard and played with poise on that end of the floor. DeAndre Jordan started and made a good defensive impact. Christian Braun and Peyton Watson made great plays on the perimeter. Zeke Nnaji contested a ton of shots and was high energy all game. It was an encouraging performance after a snoozer of a matchup the previous night.

Here are my takeaways from the Nuggets matchup with the Suns in Phoenix on Friday night:

The Nuggets fought hard on defense

There’s no doubt that the Nuggets were outmatched from a talent perspective in this game. So much so that the Nuggets got down by as many as 27 points in the third quarter, a 72-45 deficit. The Nuggets fought back though and allowed just 28 points in the final 19 minutes of the contest. Led by the on-ball defense of Bruce Brown, the wing size of Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, and the rotations of Zeke Nnaji on the back line, the Nuggets simply found a way to cut into the lead.

The Suns are really good at generating open corner threes for their role players, and unfortunately for the Nuggets, Josh Okogie shot 4-of-5 from three-point range tonight, including a fourth quarter three that was incredibly clutch. The Suns didn’t make a ton of threes as a team though, which is because they only attempted 27 of them. Many of the shots were mid-range pull-ups by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul. The Nuggets were able to stay attached due to the math game and through excellent contests most of the time. The Suns also didn’t get up as many shots as usual because they turned the ball over 16 times. That math helped limit the Suns to 100 points on the night.

The Suns are really good, even if they collapsed

Probably the takeaway that matters most tonight: the Suns are legit. Yes, the Nuggets were without four starters, but the Suns brought good energy and focus, especially from their stars.

Kevin Durant is flat out incredible. His ability to hit contested jumpers off the dribble is second to none. Devin Booker actually gives him a bit of competition there when he’s on, but there’s no one like KD because there’s no one that appears so unbothered by good contests in the entire world. Between those two, the Nuggets could play excellent defense (and there were some good defensive possessions) and it may just not matter half the time. That’s what it means to have KD on your team.

This is the biggest reason why folks are picking the Suns over the Nuggets to make the Finals this year. Obviously, Denver’s starters change the calculus there a bit, but how much remains to be seen.

The young guys were pretty impressive

Before tonight, Peyton Watson had played 52 minutes across 17 games at the NBA level. He was purely a garbage time option and has spent most of his time getting better, stronger, and more coordinated at the G League level.

It appears that some of that time has paid off. Watson played some great defense on Durant and in general. He grabbed eight defensive rebounds, notched two blocks, and used his athletic tools and wingspan to contest plenty of others. It was an impressive showing for the youngster against Durant, his mentor growing up.

Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji, and Vlatko Čančar also had strong evenings. Braun made some plays off the dribble, defended Durant and Booker well, and hit an important second half three-pointer. Nnaji was great contesting shots, especially in the second half. He also grabbed three offensive rebounds and hit a corner three-pointer himself. Čančar, who hasn’t been in the rotation the last few games, made the most of the opportunity with six points and four rebounds off the bench.

The Nuggets have a shallow bench heading into the playoffs at this current moment, but there’s no doubt that there’s talent waiting to be cultivated there. Talented young players that can play defense are fairly rare, and the Nuggets seem to have at least some optionality available to them. If not this year, then next year will be a great opportunity to see some of those guys in expanded roles off the bench.

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