Phoenix Suns: 3 Takeaways From Opening Night Loss to Denver Nuggets

Donning their jet black “Valley” jerseys, almost everyone on the Phoenix Suns looked like a certain Gotham superhero last night. While battling against a player nicknamed “the Joker” at the same time, their season opener felt like a full feature film .

Unfortunately, the good guys lost this time around, as Nikola Jokic and Denver Nuggets dismantled the Suns by a 110-98 score. The former MVP put up another spectacular performance, contributing with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and two steals.

The Nuggets led the contest early, jumping out to an 26-15 lead halfway through the first period. The Suns struggled early with their long range shooting, going 2-10 from deep.

But Phoenix briefly caught fire during the second quarter. Their floor spacing and fast-paced play took over, allowing them to spread the ball around and find easy shots. They put up a whopping 37 points during the period, and carried a lead into halftime.

From that point on though, their offense sputtered out. The Nuggets began to dominate under half-court circumstances. Their role players stepped up, especially Jeff Green and PJ Dozier, who combined for seven made triples.

This game also included some chippy play spilling over from the last time these two teams met. Both Devin Booker and Jokic attained double technicals during the third period, as did Jae Crowder a few minutes beforehand.

Regardless, this first of 82 pending contests is now over for the Suns, and although they would have preferred to walk away with a victory, they can at least move forward with these three takeaways.