Game 1 escaped the Denver Nuggets as they lost 122-105 to the Phoenix Suns. The final score seemed to represent a blowout, but Denver was ahead for the majority until halfway through the third. It was a total team effort from the Suns on Monday. Their leading scorer was Mikal Bridges with 23, and three others scored 20+ including Ayton, Paul, and Booker.
NBA MVP Nikola Jokic stuffed the stat line once again but did not shoot as well as we are accustomed to seeing. He had 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks on 10-23 shooting.