The Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

Denver defeated the Phoenix Suns 125-100 in Game 6 of the 2nd round (4 wins from 7 games) of the 2022-23 season NBA Western Conference Playoffs (PO) held at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on the 12th (Korean time). With this, Denver recorded a series record of 4 wins and 2 losses and advanced to the Western Conference finals.

It is the first time since the 2019-20 season that Denver has reached the conference finals. At that time, Denver failed to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in history by kneeling to the Los Angeles Lakers with a series record of 1 win and 4 losses.

The performance of Nikola Jokic (32 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists) shone. He recorded his 11th triple-double in his playoff career and led the team to the conference finals, along with Jamal Murray (26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) and Kentavious Caldwell Pope (21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists).

The match was actually won or lost in the first half. Denver took a huge lead 44-26 in the first quarter with Caldwell Pope (17 points) and Jokic (14 points) scoring 31 points. In the second quarter, Murray’s (15 points) score was added to finish the first half 81-51.

Even entering the second half, Denver’s momentum did not seem to be dampened. Jokic dominated the bottom of the goal, Murray’s 3-point shot and Bruce Brown’s goal added to finish the third quarter at 103-76. Denver, who continued to win in the 4th quarter, summoned the main players to the bench and kept the victory leisurely.

Phoenix acquired Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets in February of this year to win the NBA Finals for the first time since its founding, but failed to cross the wall of the second round of PO for two consecutive years. 스포츠토토

Denver will enter the Western Conference Finals (4 wins from 7 matches) from the 17th with the winners of the Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Currently, the Lakers lead Golden State 3-2.

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics took the series to Game 7 with a 95-86 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston was pushed 71-73 until the third quarter, but succeeded in turning it around in the fourth quarter with Jayson Tatum’s ‘One Man Show’. Tatum made a 3-pointer with 4 minutes left in the end, leading the 84-83 reversal, and widening the score with consecutive 3-pointers.

Then, with 37 seconds left, he put in another 3-point shot and put a wedge in the game. Tatum, who recorded 19 points and 9 rebounds on the day, played a decisive role in the team’s victory by concentrating all 3 points and 4 shots in the 4th quarter. With a 3-3 score, the two teams will play their final game on the 16th at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.