Josh Okogie on fire from deep as Phoenix Suns outlast Denver Nuggets

The Phoenix Suns recorded a 100-93 victory at home against the Denver Nuggets in an NBA fixture played in the early hours of Saturday, April 1, 2023.

In a massive Western Conference matchup, the number one seed Nuggets were without two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and star point guard Jamal Murray.

The Phoenix Suns fresh off a victory against the Minnesota Suns fought off a Nuggets side missing their best players on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Suns were ht from the start led by star player Kevin Durant put up 32 points to led by 12 at the end of the first quarter.

The Suns were relentless and star guard Devin Book helped the Nuggets by eight in the second quarter to take a 20-point lead by the halftime break.

The Nuggets without their star players showed some fight in the third quarter to get their offense going and produce an outstanding 34 points cutting the Suns' lead down to 10 points.

In a low-scoring fourth quarter, the Nuggets were unable to get the score even as the Suns with good execution from Chris Paul made huge shots late to hold on for a seven-point lead.

Nigerian professional basketball player Joshua Aloiye Okogie played a crucial role for the Phoenix Suns in the victory against the Denver Nuggets.

Suns Head Coach Monty Williams retained the 24-year-old member of Nigeria's senior basketball team in the starting lineup to face the Nuggets.

Okogie produced 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, and contributed one steal in 29 minutes of action.

He made five of his eight shots, including a hot hand four of five from three-point range but did not attempt any free throw.

Okogie made the biggest shot of the game from three from a pass from Durant to close out the Nuggets.

Okogie started the season as a minor piece of the Suns' rotation.

However since the suns traded forward Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges to the Brooklyn Nets to land NBA superstar Kevin Durant, Okogie has become integral to the teams' success.

As Durant recovered from injury, Okogie slotted into the starting line up providing defense and using his athleticism to make a difference.

Following the return of Durant, Okogie has continued to hold down his role with the team with his spacing and ability to make open shots.

In the game against the Nuggesy, Okogie at the small forward position had a positive three net rating and shows his adaptability in several situations.

Okogie returns to action when the Suns at home take on the San Antonio Spurs in another western conference match-up scheduled for Wednesday, April 5, 2023.