The Suns made five of their first six shots from beyond the arc to get out to a fast start. After a deep three-pointer by Grayson Allen forced a Denver timeout, they surged out to a 19–14 lead.

The Nuggets shot just as well as the Suns did in the early going, if not more effectively.

Jusuf Nurkic’s absence resulted in some early Thad Young minutes, and Drew Eubanks entered the starting lineup.

With 10 points by Devin Booker, the teams were tied at 29 points at the start of the second quarter. Denver was led by Caldwell-Pope, who scored nine points in the first quarter while making three triples.

With 8:20 left in the second quarter, Phoenix took a 10-2 run to increase their advantage to eight points and force Denver to call a timeout.

At that moment, Phoenix was making an absurd 7-13 three-point percentage. From the start, their defensive intensity was much higher, highlighted by this brilliant play from Durant.

Following the break, Beal scored a three-pointer and Eubanks converted a Kevin Durant pass into a dunk to increase the margin to eleven points, 44–33. Jokic has only two points in the game at this time.

The Suns trailed in turnovers, coughing up eight to Denver’s two, even though they were ahead by eight.

Thad Young scored a buzzer-beating follow-up shot to close out the second quarter. Phoenix was ahead by seven, 59-52, at the half. With 14 points apiece, Kevin Durant and Michael Porter Jr. topped all scorers.

Denver scored easily as a result of Phoenix’s foolish errors early in the second half, cutting the advantage to five points.

With 9:30 left, Phoenix went on a quick 8-0 run to take a 13-point lead, 69-56.

Midway in the third quarter, Phoenix’s offensive stopped for four minutes, which gave Denver the opportunity to gradually cut into the lead.

With 4:41 left in the third quarter, Jokic narrowed the Phoenix lead to three points, 71-68. At the time, Denver was on a 12-0 run, cutting their deficit under the guidance of their MVP.

Denver’s 12-0 run came to an end when Kevin Durant made a 180-degree turn about.

Following an 8-0 run that put Phoenix’s lead back up to 11, Mike Malone called a timeout.

In the last 12 minutes of play, the Suns led by 10 points, 83–73.

The Suns jumped ahead early in the fourth quarter, with the bench unit driving the charge.

Denver scored the next six points as soon as Jokic arrived, reducing the Suns’ advantage to eight. Phoenix extended their advantage to 15 points when Kevin Durant made a big three-pointer.

The Suns fought hard to win the game on the road, and they did so by shutting down the Denver offense in the fourth quarter.