Nuggets destroy Suns in Game 6, punch ticket to Western Conference finals

PHOENIX – The Denver Nuggets are headed to the Western Conference finals.

Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets dominated the Phoenix Suns 125-100 to win their playoff series 4-2 and advance to the conference championship. Jokic had a 32-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double in the series-clinching win. Jamal Murray, who played through a non-COVID illness, tallied 26 points.

Suns forward Kevin Durant had 23 in the loss. Devin Booker was held to just 12 points.

"When we defend, when we rebound, when we run, when we share the ball, we believe we’re the best team in the NBA,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "And tonight, we showed it."

Here are the top takeaways from the Nuggets' blowout victory over the Suns:

Nuggets blitz Suns early

The Nuggets had about as good of a first half as a road team could have in an elimination game. Denver outscored Phoenix 44-26 in the first quarter. With 2:52 remaining in the second quarter, Kevin Durant was 1-for-10 from the floor and the Nuggets had a big 71-45 advantage.

Denver extended its lead to 81-51 at halftime. Jokic had 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the first half. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Nuggets in the first half with 21 points.

Booker and Durant were a combined 6-for-23 in the first two quarters.

The Nuggets shot 61% from the floor in the first half and held Phoenix to 40%. The Suns also had eight first-half turnovers.

The crowd started to boo the Suns as they exited for the locker room at halftime. The Suns also trailed by 30 points by halftime in last year's Game 7 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks (also in the second round).

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray control game in complete performance

Caldwell-Pope got off to a hot start, but it was Jokic and Murray who refused to let the Nuggets lose Game 6.

They took turns making plays each time the Suns tried to make a small rally attempt. They played a two-man game on offense and found their teammates when slicing to the basket or for open shots.

"He shows (his greatness) every night," Murray said of Jokic, a two-time MVP.

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant quiet in Game 6

Booker picked the wrong time to have his worst game of the series. After getting off to such a great start through five games, Booker was an inefficient 4-for-13 from the floor for a modest 12 points.

Durant wasn’t effective in a game the Suns needed to stay alive. He started the contest 1-for-10 and finished 8-for-19 for 23 points with four turnovers.

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon deserves credit for the defense he played on Durant during the series. Durant shot below 50% against Denver.

Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul miss Suns' final game

Suns center Deandre Ayton (rib contusion) and guard Chris Paul (left groin strain) were both ruled out Thursday. Cameron Payne, inserted into the starting lineup for Paul, was actually one of the Suns' few bright spots on Thursday. He had a team-high 31 points on 12-for-16 shooting.

Murray was listed with a non-COVID illness before the game, but he didn’t perform like he was under the weather. He shot 7-for-16 from the field, including 4-for-7 from 3, and hit all eight of his free throws.

Western Conference finals

The No. 1 seed Nuggets advanced to their second conference finals since the 2020 bubble. They will play either the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals with Game 1 in Denver, where they've yet to lose this postseason. The Lakers lead the Warriors 3-2 with Game 6 of their series in Los Angeles on Friday night.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nuggets advance to 2023 conference finals with demolition of Suns