Denver Nuggets 97, Phoenix Suns 126: Three Takeaways

The Denver Nuggets were already up against it heading into a Sunday night showdown with the Phoenix Suns without Nikola Joki\u0107 suiting up for the contest. Unfortunately for Denver, Phoenix came out of the gates firing and comfortably secured a 126-97 victory, which extended the Nuggets’ losing streak to four games.

Denver kept it close during the first portion of the initial quarter, as a balanced scoring attack kept the Nuggets within five points at the first timeout. However, lights out shooting (77.3 percent in the quarter) fueled Phoenix’s offense, as the Suns built the lead up to 10 points with four minutes remaining in the quarter. Jae Crowder led the way with 11 points in the…