Suns-Nuggets Game 3 Injury Report, Preview

The Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets enter a pivotal Game 3 - here's today's injury report and game preview.

Who: Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns
What: Game 3, Western Conference Semifinals
When: Friday, May 5 at 7:00 PM PST
Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Spread: Suns -3.5

Phoenix Suns Injury Report

Chris Paul (groin) OUT

Denver Nuggets Injury Report

N/A

Game Preview

The Phoenix Suns are finally back home after a rough two-game stretch on the road, losing both Game 1 and Game 2 to the Denver Nuggets.

Games 3 and 4 are considered must-win, for a few reasons. 

Teams that go up 3-0 are 149-0 in securing a series victory while teams with a 3-1 lead are 264-13. Especially against the No. 1 seeded Nuggets, falling behind any further than they already have would spell trouble in a major way.

The Suns will have to navigate the weekend without Chris Paul, who suffered a groin injury late in Game 2 and was unable to return. 

That spells a few problems for Phoenix, as not only are they missing their floor general, but Suns coach Monty Williams will have to rely on his bench even more moving forward.

Phoenix's bench has been outscored 223-100 this postseason and provided just four points in Game 2's loss against Denver. 

Even on a night where Jamal Murray couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat, the Suns were unable to capitalize on his poor performance thanks to the monster efforts of Nikola Jokic. 

In order for the Suns to win, both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant will need to go nuclear. It will be interesting to see how both teams adapt to Paul's absence as the series settles in the desert.