Michael Malone reveals major key to bringing down Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul

Michael Malone and the Denver Nuggets took care of business in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs in just five games, wiping out the Minnesota Timberwolves via a gentleman’s sweep. But the Nuggets expect to have a tougher battle in the second round where they will be facing off with a loadeded Phoenix Suns squad.

Making a game plan that will work against the Suns is never going to be an easy task. For Malone, one way for the Nuggets to cut Phoenix down to size is by continuing to play Denver’s brand of basketball.

“We have to move the ball. We have to involve Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and make them have to defend us. It’s not going iso, one-on-one basketball, but stay true to ourselves and move the basketball, set physical screens,” Michael Malone said ahead of Game 1 of the series versus the Suns (via Duane Rankin of  AZ Central).

Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are clearly the top problems for the Suns, who didn’t have to worry much in the first round about slowing down the banged-up Los Angeles Clippers that did not have Paul George for the entire series and missed the services of Kawhi Leonard in multiple games. Murray led the Nuggets in the Timberwolves with 27.2 points per game while also shooting 42.9 percent from deep. Jokic came up with 26.2 points per game in that series and while he shot just 48.2 percent, he averaged 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists.

Game 1 of the Suns-Nuggets series happens this Saturday night in Denver.