Suns' Deandre Ayton: The 'Physicality Is Gonna Turn Up a Notch' vs. Nuggets in Game 2

Phoenix Suns star Deandre Ayton is expecting his team to get more physical with the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinals series.

Following Saturday's 125-107 loss, he told reporters the Suns are "gonna be a complete different team" when the action resumes.

"The physicality is gonna turn up a notch," Ayton said. "They were playing Nuggets basketball, but they were playing a little too comfortable. We didn't have our hands on them like how we're supposed to, and when we did, it was a little too late."

Denver shot 47.5 percent from the field and hit 16 of its 37 three-point attempts. All five Nuggets starters scored in double figures, with Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokić and Aaron Gordon combining for 81 points.

For the Suns, it doesn't really matter how well their quartet of Ayton, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker perform offensively if they put up so little resistance on defense as a team.

Phoenix can't afford a repeat of the second quarter in Game 1 either. The Nuggets outscored the Suns 37-19 during that phase Saturday night, and what had been a close contest was effectively over from there.

Based on Ayton's comments, Denver can expect a firm response from Phoenix on Monday night. Should the increased physicality translate into little improvement on defense, though, the Suns will be in serious trouble across the remainder of the series.