The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Deandre Ayton has drawn two of the toughest individual assignments of any player in the NBA playoffs with the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis in round one and the newly minted league MVP, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, in round two.

Ayton has averaged 17.5 points and 10 rebounds per game matched up against Jokic and has helped lead his Phoenix Suns to a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.

Ayton finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds last night as the Suns took a 123-98 win in game two at the PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

Jokic has averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds through two games in the series.

Wednesday night’s game two was the second double digit win for the Suns in the matchups this season. The three regular-season meetings were all extremely close: One was decided by three points in regulation, another was settled in overtime and the other went to double overtime.

The Suns took game one, 122-105.

“I love playing against Jokic, that’s the MVP of our league. He has so much. Has a lot to cover. The dude can do anything,” Ayton said. “That’s just the modern centre right there. You have to watch out for drives, he can shoot … and play-make for his teammates. I just have to come in everyday, learn what he loves to do and just compete.”

Jokic called Ayton one of his toughest draws in the league.

“I think he’s a great person. He always talks to me on the floor. I really appreciate that,” Jokic said.

“He’s the best in the league in field-goal percentage. So, he’s not missing a lot of shots. He knows what he needs to do. He’s doing that on a really high level. He’s really a two-way centre. … You can see that he’s talking to his team. He wants to be even better.

“For someone who is young, he has that kind of mentality.”

“Wow. He said that?” Ayton responded once he heard Jokic’s assessment, “That’s lit.”

The series shifts to Denver, Colorado for the next two games as the Nuggets host game three - Friday June 11 at 10pm and game four - Sunday, June 13 at 8pm.

Ayton credits the Suns’ cohesive unit, led by head coach Monty Williams.

“It’s a team, it’s a real team, a lot of great guys and the relationship we have, it bleeds onto the court, you guys can see it, we play together, we play as a unit and it’s just togetherness,” Ayton said. “[Williams] doesn’t approach you like a typical NBA coach, he approaches you more like a friend, some would say father figure. He teaches you so many things away from basketball. You create this bond and chemistry where you catch yourself coming to him for advice about anything and that type of stuff builds on the court, now you want to play as hard as you can for this dude and for this organisation.”