The Denver Nuggets might be the ones to put an end to the Phoenix Suns‘ championship aspirations. While Nikola Jokic continues to dominate the court, Jamal Murray seems to be back to his best after a lengthy injury layoff. Though it is just Game 1, a loss by a huge margin has given the Suns fans a sense of fear. Ahead of the game, Suns legend Charles Barkley gave his two cents on where he felt this matchup might be won, putting emphasis on the importance of Devin Booker in this series. Gaslighting a Houston Rockets legend to shift focus from Kevin Durant, Chuck might have made the right predictions.?

Booker, who was on a mission in the last series, succumbed to Murray and the Nuggets. The last-quarter takeover from Jamal Murray gave the Nuggets a huge upper hand.

Charles Barkley shifts entire focus on Suns star Devin Booker

Defeating their rivals 4-1 in the first round, both teams had a pretty easy path to the Semis. Especially for Kevin Durant and the Suns. Without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Los Angeles Clippers were an easy nut to crack for Booker and Co. However, things are different here in the Conference Semi-Finals.

Averaging 35+ points in the first round, Booker went berserk in the first round. The Inside the NBA crew discussed who’s gonna be the x-factor in this series for the Suns. Rockets legend Kenny Smith pinned his hopes on Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon. However, after realizing he will have to guard KD, Chuck mentioned, “His whole energy is going to be trying to slow down Kevin. I mean you gotta stop Kevin [Durant].”

Barkley went on to shift his entire focus on the 26-year-old guard. The 1993 MVP mentioned, “To me, Devin Booker is the one who will have a tough series.” Putting forth Booker’s mission for the series, Barkley added, “He’s gotta guard Jamal Murray, which is a full-time job. He’s gotta get 30 a night…He’s gotta average a minimum of 30.”

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Looks like Booker failed to reach Barkley’s expectations in Game 1. The 6’5 guard finished 3 points short of 30 and definitely couldn’t stop Jamal Murray, who was the key factor for the Denver Nuggets as they comfortably won Game 1.?

How did Jamal Murray crush the Phoenix Suns?

Appearing in the playoffs for the first time since his star-making moment in the Bubble, Jamal Murray balled like he never left. Entertaining the crowd in 2020 with great performances, the 26-year-old guard delivered yet again today with 34 points and most of it coming in the fourth quarter. Though it was a close game until the first half, Murray and Jokic took over late to give the Suns an embarrassing 18-point loss.

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