The Suns were carried by All-Star duo Chris Paul and Devin Booker, who had another postseason outing. Paul scored 37 points and dished seven assists, while Booker had 34 points and 11 boards.

Nuggets made a late fourth-quarter push but couldn’t go all the way without their best player Nikola Jokic on the court. Jokic, who recently received the NBA MVP award, was ejected late in the third quarter for a flagrant foul on Cameron Payne.

Jokic made a hard swipe to get the ball out of Payne’s hands but also ended up hitting the Suns guard in the face. After the review, referees called a Flagrant 2 on the Serbian and sent him to the locker room.

Despite ending the game early, Jokic still managed to contribute with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Will Barton had 25 points, and Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 for Denver as well.

This was a bitter end of the postseason for the Nuggets but also an expected one. They entered the playoffs without one of their best players in Jamal Murray and knew they would have a tough time getting all the way without him.

“I’m not going to allow this series to define the season,” said Denver’s head coach Michael Malone. “Hopefully next year we can find a way to stay healthy and be better and see where we can go.”

Phoenix, on the other hand, now waits for the conclusion of the Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers series to find out their opponent in the Western Conference Finals. This will be the first trip to conference finals for the Suns since the 2009-10 season, which was also the last time the team has made the playoffs.

“It’s a feeling that’s kind of hard to put (into) words,” said Booker. “After a game like this, or after you close a series out, you sit back and reflect a little bit and think about what we’ve been through as an organization and as a team.”

The post Suns Sweep Nuggets to Reach Western Conference Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Booker will step in as a replacement for injured Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis, who is expected to miss at least four more weeks.

Booker has been having a great season, averaging 25 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while shooting more than 50 percent from the field. His play, and contributions from fellow All-Star Chris Paul, have lifted the Suns to an impressive 20-10 record and No. 4 seed in the West.

“At the end of the day, it is bigger than this basketball thing and the entertainment behind it and the politics behind it,” said Booker about being initially overlooked for the 2021 All-Star game. “I am getting to the age of finally understanding that.”

This will be the second All-Star nod for Devin Booker in his career. He made his first All-Star appearance as a replacement for Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard in 2020.

The Suns will send two players to the All-Star game for the first time since 2010, when Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire got the nod.

The post Suns’ Devin Booker Selected as Anthony Davis’ Replacement in NBA All-Star Game appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

For the Western Conference, the reserves will be the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George, the New Orleans’ Pelicans Zion Williamson, the Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul, and the Portland Trailblazers’ Damien Lillard.

It should also be noted that the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis was selected to be a reserve as well, but due to an injury will be substituted by the Suns’ Devin Booker.

Over on the Eastern Conference, here’s how the reserves will look. Brooklyn’s James Harden was an obvious choice, along with the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons. The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown also got the nod, with the Chicago Bulls’ Zach Lavine, the Orlando Magic’s Nikola Vucevic, and the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle getting invited as well.

This will be the first All-Star game for some, including the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson and the Knicks’ Julius Randle.

The NBA All-Star game reserves are selected by the head coaches of the NBA teams, so it’s certainly not a popularity contest, rather selections based on merit alone. The game will be played on March 7th.

The post Reserves Selected For Upcoming NBA All-Star Game appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Suns were carried by All-Star duo Chris Paul and Devin Booker, who had another postseason outing. Paul scored 37 points and dished seven assists, while Booker had 34 points and 11 boards.

Nuggets made a late fourth-quarter push but couldn’t go all the way without their best player Nikola Jokic on the court. Jokic, who recently received the NBA MVP award, was ejected late in the third quarter for a flagrant foul on Cameron Payne.

Jokic made a hard swipe to get the ball out of Payne’s hands but also ended up hitting the Suns guard in the face. After the review, referees called a Flagrant 2 on the Serbian and sent him to the locker room.

Despite ending the game early, Jokic still managed to contribute with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Will Barton had 25 points, and Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 for Denver as well.

This was a bitter end of the postseason for the Nuggets but also an expected one. They entered the playoffs without one of their best players in Jamal Murray and knew they would have a tough time getting all the way without him.

“I’m not going to allow this series to define the season,” said Denver’s head coach Michael Malone. “Hopefully next year we can find a way to stay healthy and be better and see where we can go.”

Phoenix, on the other hand, now waits for the conclusion of the Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers series to find out their opponent in the Western Conference Finals. This will be the first trip to conference finals for the Suns since the 2009-10 season, which was also the last time the team has made the playoffs.

“It’s a feeling that’s kind of hard to put (into) words,” said Booker. “After a game like this, or after you close a series out, you sit back and reflect a little bit and think about what we’ve been through as an organization and as a team.”

The post Suns Sweep Nuggets to Reach Western Conference Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Booker will step in as a replacement for injured Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis, who is expected to miss at least four more weeks.

Booker has been having a great season, averaging 25 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while shooting more than 50 percent from the field. His play, and contributions from fellow All-Star Chris Paul, have lifted the Suns to an impressive 20-10 record and No. 4 seed in the West.

“At the end of the day, it is bigger than this basketball thing and the entertainment behind it and the politics behind it,” said Booker about being initially overlooked for the 2021 All-Star game. “I am getting to the age of finally understanding that.”

This will be the second All-Star nod for Devin Booker in his career. He made his first All-Star appearance as a replacement for Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard in 2020.

The Suns will send two players to the All-Star game for the first time since 2010, when Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire got the nod.

The post Suns’ Devin Booker Selected as Anthony Davis’ Replacement in NBA All-Star Game appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

For the Western Conference, the reserves will be the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George, the New Orleans’ Pelicans Zion Williamson, the Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul, and the Portland Trailblazers’ Damien Lillard.

It should also be noted that the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis was selected to be a reserve as well, but due to an injury will be substituted by the Suns’ Devin Booker.

Over on the Eastern Conference, here’s how the reserves will look. Brooklyn’s James Harden was an obvious choice, along with the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons. The Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown also got the nod, with the Chicago Bulls’ Zach Lavine, the Orlando Magic’s Nikola Vucevic, and the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle getting invited as well.

This will be the first All-Star game for some, including the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson and the Knicks’ Julius Randle.

The NBA All-Star game reserves are selected by the head coaches of the NBA teams, so it’s certainly not a popularity contest, rather selections based on merit alone. The game will be played on March 7th.

The post Reserves Selected For Upcoming NBA All-Star Game appeared first on yoursportspot.com.