Gabriel: Never a doubt. My 8-9 prediction has me currently looking like the opposite of you, Kiz: a real downer instead of a constant ray of sunshine. We got here because the Broncos suddenly started winning the exact kind of games they’ve lost for the better part of the past seven years: Close games. Physical games. 50/50 games. The kind that pockmark the NFL every week. Of course, Sunday wasn’t quite that. It was a pretty thorough beatdown from Sean Payton’s team over a Chargers team and coach in Brandon Staley who looks headed for more rocky road.

Kiz: I don’t know if I believe the Broncos can end the reign of Kansas City as boss of the AFC West. But since beating the Chiefs, Denver has been the best team in the division. Get in the playoffs and the Broncos have a defense to do some damage. Where’s the Super Bowl played this season?

Gabriel: How does the desert sound to you, Kiz? A stretch of February in Las Vegas will be good times for a pair of teams and a big swath of the whole NFL operation. The Broncos? Well … let’s not get too far out ahead of our early winter skis just yet, OK? But we wouldn’t be having this conversation without some really impressive performances across the board, right? So, who you got for MVP of this season-turning run, Kiz?

Kiz: While the connection between Wilson and Sutton has been jaw-dropping, the Broncos would be nowhere near the playoff discussion without the transformation of a defense that was in shambles after surrendering 70 points to Miami. So I have to give the MVP of this amazing turnaround to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph … and can’t wait for the first playoff game against the Dolphins. It’s fate, eh?

Gabriel: Yeah, difficult to go wrong with Joseph. Amazing to say, given the way the season started, but don’t think it’s possible to rule out him getting at least initial interviews during what’s shaping up to be a wild NFL head coaching carousel this winter. My vote for MVP of this run: Justin Simmons. Consider that he spent almost all of training camp dealing with a hip/groin injury and then looked a half-step off his normal ball-hawking self over the first two weeks. Then he missed defensive debacles against Miami and Chicago dealing with the same injury. So let’s call it Week 5 when Healthy Justin started playing this year. My abacus here says they’ve been pretty good with Healthy Justin. How far can Denver take it? We’re fixin’ to find out.

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Gabriel: Opposing teams certainly are going to think so, Kiz. After all, both Las Vegas receiver Jakobi Meyers and Washington tight end Logan Thomas were diagnosed with concussions after hits from Jackson in the season’s opening two weeks. Those two, more than the final straw against Green Bay’s Luke Musgrave, are the ones that compelled the NFL to go big on its initial suspension ruling. But here’s the thing: It’s not just the safety risk for Denver. It’s also the game risk. If he gets flagged against Minnesota — how the heck did he not? — the Broncos’ first turnover gets wiped off the board and the game might unfold entirely differently.

Kiz: While Jackson might be a good man beloved by his teammates, if you are what you do, he has by definition become a dirty player. While old-school fans might lament how a violent game has gone soft, when Jackson complains there’s nothing black and white in the rules about what constitutes an illegal hit, that’s a load of hooey. The helmet cannot be used as a weapon. If the league is serious about reducing head injuries to address the long-term ill effects of concussions, the way Jackson plays football is disrespectful and dangerous to his NFL brothers.

Gabriel: On one hand, there is a ton of subjectivity in what gets called and what doesn’t. And the league certainly has drawn its share of ire not just from Jackson and the Broncos, but from many around the league in terms of how they adjudicate and levy fines against players. I even buy Justin Simmons’ argument that the league went overboard in giving Jackson a four-game suspension initially to ensure it got multiple games on appeal. That’s all fair. But so is this: No matter the level of football or the situation, planting both of your feet in the ground and then launching up and leading with your helmet is asking for injury and for punishment. In the eyes of officials, it’s academic whether you sort of hit the upper chest or if the first contact is the helmet against the facemask. It’s still a dangerous hit.

Kiz: Sorry, but I refuse to mealy mouth my take on Jackson. The Denver defense did not miss him while he served a two-game suspension. If he can’t get it through his skull that heads-up tackling is the way defense needs to be played in 2023, whatever punishment might await Jackson from the NFL is not nearly as important as how the Broncos deal with this chronic headache. A team making a longshot run at the playoffs can’t be derailed by a dumb penalty for an illegal hit or the possibility Jackson could be suspended again for his next tackle. It’s time for Denver to move on from him as a starter.

Gabriel: One caveat here, Kiz, just from a football perspective. The Broncos didn’t miss Jackson for those two games because P.J. Locke was healthy and available. If Locke, who missed Sunday night’s game with an ankle injury, misses more time going forward, Jackson’s absence would be felt. They’re already down Caden Sterns for the season and Locke’s been in and out of the lineup. Though Jackson at this point brings his own risk level to the equation, the Broncos have struggled when they’ve had to rely on Delarrin Turner-Yell for long stretches defensively.

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Masisak: For a team that spent training camp talking about the standards and culture here, including new guys gushing about how the grass was actually greener, the noncompetitive losses are startling. Bednar didn’t shy away from taking a minor jab at the leadership core after the meltdown against St. Louis. There are two reasons for optimism. One, the underlying numbers are still very good. And two, this team was in the weeds for a while last year and eventually looked like a Cup contender again in the final two months. This core has shown it can figure things out before.

Kiz: The glory of their names etched on the Stanley Cup for winning the championship in 2022 is forever. And I do believe the Cup is the hardest trophy in North American sports for any pro team to win. But I also firmly believe this: A team as talented as this group in the Colorado dressing room has underachieved during the last four seasons, when the Avs have been bounced early in the playoffs three times. Is there some flaw in the makeup of this organization that makes any hope of a dynasty a pipe dream?

Masisak: As long as the Avs have those three guys mentioned above, plus Devon Toews, they are at a roster-building advantage that no other NHL team has right now. Getting the complementary parts right in a hard cap world is difficult. Landeskog’s injury — not to mention the uncertainty of what he’ll be if/when he plays again — is a potential pothole. But they’ve avoided bad contracts for non-essential guys, which is another plus. I wouldn’t trade those four stars for any other quartet in the league, and as the cap rises the next couple of seasons, it will be a shock if there aren’t multiple deep playoff runs to come while these guys are still great.

Kiz: If the group fragments, athletes wallowing in self-pity quit on the ice and execution is a joke, that is first and foremost on the Avalanche players. But it also reflects poorly on the coach in charge. Any coach in the history of this franchise could’ve won the Cup with the Avalanche team of 2022. Bednar is highly competent at his job. But he needs to come up with better answers to the issues facing the Avs than throwing them under the bus after a tough loss. I want to hear solutions from the coach more advanced and nuanced than a fierce demand to try harder.

Masisak: A couple of other media members who have been around him for longer felt Bednar was as angry as they’d seen him after the St. Louis loss. That’s interesting, given how early it is in the season. Part of that might have been because the team played well for two games after the first embarrassing loss but didn’t sustain it. Given that he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night, Avs fans have probably been thinking more about Pierre Lacroix lately. We know he’d probably try to make a foundation-rattling move if this continues. Whether or not the current regime would, or can given the financial constraints, is a tougher question to answer.

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Glad you got to watch the game from the crib fam https://t.co/GCCypcAyRq

— Jerry Jeudy⁴ (@jerryjeudy) October 1, 2023

Gabriel: My Twitter fingers aren’t all that salty, but might I point out that the Broncos’ leading receiver Sunday was Jeudy (three catches for 52) and that he had receptions of 18 on Denver’s first touchdown drive and then nine and 25 on the third touchdown drive? All the same, Mims’ lack of not only targets but snaps — he’s been between 15 and 17 offensive snaps all four games — is indeed mystifying at this point. With only 48 offensive snaps Sunday, 17 was at least a season-high 35% usage rate for Mims, but all he does when he’s in the game is create big plays (OK, and occasionally struggle to land a block on the edge, but he’s not the only Denver receiver that applies to). Thinning the room might be the route to getting Mims on the field more, but I’m not sure I’d start with Jeudy, at least during the season.

Kiz: I kid Jeudy, who took issue with comments by former Broncos Rod Smith and Phillip Lindsay on social media after the Denver receiving core got off to a slow start in Chicago. But I do think Jeudy has intriguing NFL skills, despite his occasional lapses in focus that can result in a dropped football. That being said, quarterback Russell Wilson needs the best playmakers in the Denver huddle. Call me crazy, but I think coach Sean Payton needs to reward Mims’ big-play ability with more touches, even if it means a reduction in Jeudy’s role.

As a reciever you should know how this football shxt go but it was good win doe#controlwhatcancontrol https://t.co/er5fDhk1bO

— Jerry Jeudy⁴ (@jerryjeudy) October 1, 2023

Gabriel: Isn’t Courtland Sutton a more natural candidate for a role rebalance? I get that Mims’ and Jeudy’s skill-sets might be more closely aligned, but Sutton isn’t a rugged force or anything. And we’re not talking about a complete change — at least not in this situation. Maybe even just closer to 50-50. But if you wanted to do the Billy Beane from “Moneyball” and say “You can’t start Pena at first. He plays for Detroit now,” I’d wonder about Sutton at the trade deadline even for lesser compensation, then figure out Jeudy this winter. But then again, I just watch games from the press box and, as Jeudy pointed out, Lindsay watches them from the crib now.

Kiz: And speaking of Lindsay, when is rookie free agent Jaleel McLaughlin going to be named this team’s starting running back? OK, maybe that’s a debate for another day. You would think an offensive genius as impressed with himself as Payton could find adequate touches for Courtland Sutton, Jeudy and Mims. On the other hand, I’m not certain Jeudy has ever really felt at home in Denver, and getting a fresh start elsewhere might do his career good. The Broncos need draft picks. What could Jeudy bring Denver in trade?

Gabriel: Three games don’t radically change a player’s trade value, so I’m sure the Broncos won’t back their asking price down from what it was said to be this spring and summer — a top-level pick or a package of picks and players — just because he’s got 11 catches for 158 yards so far this year. At the same time, teams around the league would counter that, by the same logic, a frenzied five-game finish to 2022 doesn’t make Jeudy a true No. 1 receiver. Outside of a trade-deadline bidding war, something in the third-round range seems like the kind of offer that could materialize. Maybe Jeudy and a fourth-rounder gets them back into the second round after they dealt their own selection away to New Orleans to hire Payton in the first place. The Broncos brass clearly didn’t get the price it wanted this offseason. Does Mims’ start change their view on what’s acceptable?

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Gabriel: Yeah, the postgame news conference was surprising in part because of how the game started. Hard to imagine that would have been the tone after Wilson started 5-of-6 for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the early going. But here we are. Payton’s comments are particularly noteworthy after he specifically went after Denver’s operation in and out of the huddle in July when he called Nathaniel Hackett’s 2022 “maybe the worst coaching job in the history of the NFL.” Well, it’s not solved yet. And Payton reiterated Monday the need for everybody — not just Wilson — to be more efficient between plays.

Kiz: Here’s what I don’t get about the 0-2 start. How can Wilson look like an elite NFL quarterback in the opening half of games, then emerge from the locker room after intermission and appear as if he’s forgotten how to play football? My best guess: The offensive line can’t protect him, and the cumulative damage from the pass rush takes even more toll on Wilson’s psyche than his body. There’s a growing crisis of confidence at Broncos headquarters, with a QB who can’t fully trust his teammates and a coach who doesn’t appear all that keen on Wilson.

Gabriel: Payton made reference to the pass-rush Sunday. Wilson was sacked five times in the second half against Washington. It wasn’t all on the offensive line, but when teams start to generate pressure, Wilson speeds up and moves off of reads or tries to get out of the pocket more quickly, which only further disjointed things against Washington. All of this is against the backdrop that, through two games, Wilson’s passer rating is 108.5. If that held up over the season, it’d be the third-best mark of his career. It looks good on paper. But nine sacks overall, two turnovers against the Commanders and the late-game issues are problematic. I’m guessing you’ve got another stat, too, eh, Kiz?

Kiz: Since Wilson became the starting quarterback in Denver, here are the teams with the worst records in the NFL: Chicago 3-16; Houston 3-15-1; Arizona 4-15; Denver 5-14. While the Broncos can’t be considered the favorite to be the worst team in the league this season, they’re positioning themselves as a contender for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, which figures to be rich with quarterback talent beyond USC’s Caleb Williams. Would Denver be wise to consider a QB in the first round, even if they retain Wilson for next year?

Gabriel: Sure, if the Broncos end up in position to draft a quarterback they really believe in next spring, they should do it. The old adage is the best time to find a quarterback is when you don’t need one. Well, the Broncos need one eventually. Wilson says he wants to play into his 40s, but you can bet on Denver caring more about 2024 than 2028 and beyond. Here’s the thing: The Broncos could also use a tackle in the first round in 2024. Or an edge. Or an interior defensive lineman. Or another corner. And they’ve already traded away their second-round pick (to hire Sean Payton) and one of their two third-round picks (that they got in the Payton trade). So if you’re talking about taking on $85 million in dead salary cap space to jettison Wilson, trading whatever you can to add a couple of picks at the deadline and initiating a full roster blow-up, I’ll wait a few more weeks before signing off.

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Gabriel: I’m saying Lutz, the fourth kicker on the roster since Payton got hired. Lutz might have arrived via trade — Denver swapped a draft pick for him last month — with Payton’s trust owing to their days together in New Orleans, but he had a rough 2022 while Payton worked at Fox. The good news for him is that his performance, largely, is in his own hands. If he gets it together quickly, it’ll all be fine. But if he doesn’t and Payton sticks with him after jettisoning a trio of others, it’ll look like he’s playing favorites with guys who used to play for him.

Kiz: OK, I confess: I had no real problem with dumping Brandon McManus, whose salary had become outsized in relation to his recent mediocrity in Denver. What bugged me was the Broncos didn’t part ways with McManus until late spring, and then Payton nonchalantly acted as if finding a trustworthy kicker for field goals and PATs was as easy as walking into Dairy Queen on a summer afternoon to order a chocolate-dipped cone. Well, Payton looked as sad Sunday as a kid who dropped his cone on the sidewalk.

Gabriel: Had Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo been the kid who dropped the cone, he’d have been able to clean it up, tie his shoes, head back to DQ and order another without worrying too much about getting sacked by the Broncos. And he’d have picked up a few first downs and just enough points along the way. The explanation — Garoppolo gets the ball out quickly and Josh McDaniels schemed quick route concepts — makes sense, but the Broncos’ defense wasn’t very inventive in trying to combat that approach from the Raiders.

Kiz: I don’t think Joseph is a bad defensive coordinator. But his name is way too closely associated with seven years of bad Broncos football, and maybe the great and powerful Payton failed to fully understand the level of angst around here when he hired VJ as his DC. What alarmed me most about this loss to Las Vegas was the utter lack of pressure on the quarterback generated by Denver’s pass rush. I’m not sure how much Frank Clark or Randy Gregory have left in the tank. But if Joseph can’t get something out of them, Broncos Country will be on his case all season long.

Gabriel: Yeah, Kiz, remember when we debated “Can Randy Gregory and Frank Clark combine for 20 sacks?” Well, they were both on the field for a full complement of snaps Sunday — history says that won’t be the case all season — and they combined for no sacks and no pressures. Pro Football Focus is just one measure, but its grading of 13 Broncos pass-rushers put Clark at No. 9, Gregory last and Nik Bonitto right between at No. 11. Even still, it wasn’t all bad for VJ’s group. They held Davante Adams (66 receiving yards) and Josh Jacobs (48 rushing) to 114 combined yards and no touchdowns. And they forced a turnover after Lutz missed a 55-yard field goal attempt wide right — same spot he missed an earlier extra point.

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Gabriel: Whoa, Kiz, welcome back! Summer break is over. Football season is here. Or, at least training camp season. But you need no ramp-up. Right back into it. Not only is the franchise acting like one that expects to win, but every year there are teams that make the jump from bad to at least good enough to nab a wild card bid. Such is life with the kind of parity the league touts (OK, Kansas City not included). So while I think Denver could have a productive year under Payton and narrowly miss the postseason, it would still be fair to call such a season a failure.

Kiz: Call me crazy, but I don’t think Russell Wilson is washed. While I’d be surprised if he’s ever a truly elite NFL quarterback again, I think DangeRuss can still be better than Chargers QB Justin Herbert on any given Sunday. I’m betting Payton will get the best out of Wilson. But if he’s no longer a QB who can carry a team to the playoffs on his back, did general manager George Paton improve the roster enough during the offseason to give Wilson a fighting chance to earn 10 victories and an invitation to the Super Bowl tournament?

Gabriel: Sure, as long as key contributors don’t drop like flies as they did throughout the 2022 season. The Broncos did major work on their run game — not only by shelling out big dollars for Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers but also by getting tight end Chris Manhertz — and didn’t deal from their crowded receiver room. I’m not entirely convinced that the overall roster depth is substantially better than it was a year ago. Better up front on offense? Yeah. Defense and specialists? Time will tell.

Kiz: I love the addition of McGlinchey. While he’s probably not a Pro Bowl caliber player, he talks the talk and walks the walk of a glue guy who can infuse the locker room with a winning culture. I’m not so crazy about the addition of edge rusher Frank Clark, because he and Randy Gregory are going to have to make me a believer that they are the guys capable of giving Denver a consistently dangerous pass rush. I will give Denver a solid “B” on its offseason moves, largely because I regard Payton as a major upgrade over Nathaniel Hackett. I’ll go so far as to predict a playoff berth for the Broncos, but that’s far from a guarantee.

Gabriel: I can get on board with a “B” if you’re including the coaching turnover. Roster-wise, I’ll say B-minus. They certainly upgraded some areas and it came at a steep cost. A homegrown tackle or disruptive edge man is going to be critical in 2024 and beyond. But why worry about that or silly salary cap math at this stage in the calendar? Hope springs eternal on the eve of training camp. But for the moment I’m thinking improvement still ends with disappointment and vacation plans in the first half of January for the Broncos.

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Singer: Hubris, and you couldn’t have described it better, Kiz. The Nuggets had well over a week to rest and recuperate from *checks notes* that arduous four-game sweep over the Lakers. Meanwhile, Miami could barely decide whether to flirt with disaster or fight for its life. A No. 8 seed, on no rest, playing at altitude, against a team that hasn’t lost at home during the playoffs? Denver has all the reason in the world to think this will be easy, which is exactly why it won’t be. The Nuggets are going to need to fight human condition and treat Miami like the toughest opponent they’ve seen all postseason. And, in truth, the Heat might be. Miami’s competitive spirit and dogged tenacity are exactly why it’s still standing.

Kiszla: Before the Heat wrecked the greatest comeback in the history of the NBA playoffs by routing Boston on its home floor in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was asked to give his evaluation of both teams. And his response was telling. While Murray obviously respected the talent of Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, I got the impression he was even more impressed by the relentless, ornery, never-say-die character of the Heat. The Nuggets are more talented. But give Miami life at your own peril.

Singer: Jimmy Butler is a bold, brash playoff performer whose confidence permeates through the rest of Miami’s locker room. Erik Spoelstra is a mastermind NBA coach, who’s been here before. Bam Adebayo is one of the league’s few centers who has a prayer against Nikola Jokic. What Caleb Martin did in Game 7 speaks for itself. And the rest of Miami’s squad is composed of overlooked, underappreciated role players who epitomize team basketball. If you don’t have respect for the Heat’s improbable run to the Finals, then I don’t know what to tell you. Miami’s legit.

Kiszla: With 20/20 hindsight, even a knucklehead like me can see the Nuggets have their best-shot ever to win a championship for the simplest of reasons: They are the most talented team in the 2023 playoff field. Joker is knocking on the door to an exclusive club where the best centers of all time reside, ready to join Kareem, Wilt, Russ and Shaq. But my respect for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is immense. What tricks might Spoelstra have up his sleeve to slow the roll of Jokic and Murray?

Singer: Well, we’re going to see a lot of zone defense, which might level out the matchup disparity that leans heavily in Denver’s favor. I also anticipate seeing Butler on Murray, hounding him all over the court. Opponents have often tried length on Murray to mitigate his impressive shot-making. But I believe Coach Spo’s already lost sleep while contemplating how to slow Jokic. And if Denver’s shooters — MPJ and KCP — are raining 3-pointers like they’re capable of, the Nuggets’ floor-spacing might flummox whatever wrinkles Miami’s waiting to deploy. Through three rounds, Denver’s offense has given us no reason not to trust it. I expect more of the same.

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Gabriel: Wait a second, aren’t you supposed to be spending your days listening to Roundball Rock and chronicling an honest-to-goodness postseason run? What’s all this football talk? As it happens, Payton delivered the most optimistic update on Williams to date last time he talked, saying he thought the third-year back has a chance to return for the start of training camp in late July. Day 1 of camp — I know you can’t wait — will be just shy of 10 months post-injury for Williams, who had more damage than just the ACL tear to try to bounce back from. If he’s actually ready to be back on the field before the one-year mark — call it Week 4 at Chicago — in my mind that’s a pretty substantial win. But being cleared and on the field isn’t’ the same thing as being Javonte Williams.

Kiz: In four decades covering athletes returning an ACL injury, what takes the most time to recover is their explosiveness … and, even trickier, their peace of mind. Anybody who has marveled at Williams breaking a tackle knows he’s one tough cookie. Among the few feel-good stories on the Broncos last season was Latavius Murray, who filled in admirably in Williams’ absence. If Williams can perform better than Murray did in 2022 by producing 800 yards rushing and six touchdowns in his first season back from a major injury, I’d consider that a major victory.

Gabriel: Your reputation as an eternal optimist is widely hailed and for good reason, Kiz. Maybe I’ll look back on this as overly cautious, but I’m of the mind that if Williams avoids the route Baltimore running back JK Dobbins traversed — 13 months rehabilitation, four less-than-stellar games early on in 2022, then another six weeks on injured reserve before returning and looking closer to himself — that counts as a positive outcome. Denver signed Samaje Perine and Tony Jones Jr. to fortify for life without Williams, or at least life with a limited Williams, for as long as it takes. Even if he’s beating the original timeline, it’s a rugged recovery.

Kiz: I’m lucky to type 60 words a minute on a good day. So there’s no way I possess the medical expertise to make a solid projection on the status of Williams’ health when the Broncos take the field for their season-opener against the Raiders. But it would be sweet to see him back on the field against the division rival that sadly ended his 2022 campaign. My boldest, most optimistic prediction? If Williams is anywhere close to 100% for more than a dozen games this season, the Broncos will make the playoffs.

Gabriel: I’ll turn that around somewhat: The Broncos should be extra cautious with Williams and build him back slowly with eyes toward having him hammering away at the Chargers in the cold Denver air on New Years Eve with Wild Card positioning in the balance. Can they do enough to get to that point in the first place if he’s not 100% in the early going?

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Gabriel: In a game featuring terrific shot-making from Booker and Kevin Durant and a 53-point, 11-assist demolition from Nikola Jokic, maybe no stat jumped higher off the page than Phoenix’s 40-11 advantage in bench scoring. Plus-29! Don’t have to step too far out on the limb to say that the Nuggets cannot afford a repeat of that the rest of the series if they hope to win. But you also wouldn’t expect it back in Denver during either Game 5 or, you know, the decider. So I’m saying Booker. He’s scored nearly 30 points the past two games in transition alone and he’s knocking down the ridiculous looks, too. He could cool off considerably and still hit 60% from the floor the rest of the way.

Kiz: No critic in this dusty old cowtown has been tougher on MPJ than me. He needs to step up for Denver to survive and advance against the Suns. But the Nuggets treat him more like a role player than a max contract player. What’s the problem here? Either coach Michael Malone doesn’t create enough halfcourt sets to free Porter for his sweet jumper, or Murray is too busy dribbling away the shot clock to get him the ball. While seven rebounds per game against Phoenix is A-OK,  MPJ can — and must — provide more than 12 points per game.

Gabriel: Couldn’t agree more. And the transition 3-point attempts… ouch. The one late in Game 4 got all the attention because of the time and score – Denver trailing by three and it looked like Porter had a path to the hoop – but he had a near carbon copy in Game 3 as well. And oh, by the way, he knocked in a look from the wing in which he got the ball in transition. His activity level, as you mentioned Kiz, was solid. But it needs to be elevated the next two (or three) games.

Kiz: Hey, if Booker doesn’t regress to a mean that resembles something less than the greatest jump-shooter in the history of basketball, no adjustments Denver makes will matter. But wasn’t the Nuggets’ bench supposed to be a big advantage in this series? It disappeared in Phoenix. Christian Braun looked lost and Jeff Green looked a step slow. Maybe see if Vlatko Cancar can provide a jolt of energy. Heck, I’d even be willing to give rookie Peyton Watson a three-minute shot to see if he can stay in front of Booker.

Gabriel: Suns’ coach Monty Williams had to adjust because of Chris Paul’s injury, but he found something that worked with at least some scoring threat and athleticism in T.J. Warren and Terrence Ross in addition to Landry Shamet and bumping Cam Payne into the starting lineup. Now Malone has to adjust, too. I’d be interested in seeing Watson vs. Booker for a couple of stints. Odds say Booker’s not going to keep up this pace regardless of who Denver throws at him, but after watching the last 96 minutes of hoops in the Valley, I’m not sure I want to lean too heavily on odds. All of the subplots and little adjustments make the series fascinating. Booker’s production the next two or three games, largely, is going to decide it.

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