Game Recap: Phoenix Suns get blown out by the Denver Nuggets 122-97

The Denver Nuggets had a very easy win against the Phoenix Suns tonight by the score of 122-97. The Nuggets outrebounded the Suns 58-33 including 16 offensive rebounds. Aaron Afflalo had 22 points and Ty Lawson finished with 12 points and 11 assists.

This was not a fun game to watch. The Nuggets dominated the boards and the Suns did not seem interested in any part of defending or rebounding. The worst part of this game was the Nuggets did not even play that well. They tried to rebound the ball and were giving the normal level of effort. At certain points I honestly believed that the Suns were barely trying. Nobody stood out positively for either team and it was just a rout. Everyone on the Nuggets played decent enough and everyone on the Suns did not play well.

Here's a small recap of each quarter. It was not a complicated game.

First quarter

The Suns missed their first three shots, which were all open looks. Denver just seemed to be able to get wherever they wanted to go. Hornacek was so desperate for a spark he brought on T.J. Warren in the late first quarter and went to Gerald Green rather quickly. It didn't do much. The Suns were getting handled on the boards and that would not change.

Second quarter

Denver started the quarter by making all of their open looks, including a couple from deep. The Nuggets had 9 offensive rebounds in the first half and a bunch of second-chance points. The game arrived at a certain point in this quarter where whoever had the ball decided it was their responsibility to end the drought. Gerald Green tried and so did Eric Bledsoe. Both were unsuccessful and the Suns ended the half down 66-47.

Third quarter

The Nuggets continued to stay at that overall "good enough" level and the Suns never came out in this half to make a run. At one point Denver led by 26 and they would extend it into the thirties even. It was more of the same listless basketball and nothing new. Oh, look, there's Archie!

Fourth quarter

The young guys got to play! Tyler Ennis, Archie Goodwin, Anthony Tolliver, Alex Len, and T.J. Warren played for most of the period. Draw whatever conclusions you want from their playing time. They actually had some energy to their play, which was nice. It was a very good look for the coaches as well to see what needs work if they didn't know already. What else do you expect when a team is down 30?

The Suns finish out this month with the Orlando Magic on Sunday.