Nikola Jokic, Nuggets rout Suns, advance to Western Conference finals - ESPN

PHOENIX — As boos filled the air in Footprint Center at halftime on Thursday, Nikola Jokic made his way back toward the Denver Nuggets locker room.

Jokic sauntered through the back hallway in his usual nonchalant body language without a hint of the fact that the Nuggets were up 30 and well on their way back to the Western Conference finals.

As they have all season long, the Nuggets followed the two-time MVP's lead with all-business looks on their faces. The Nuggets are on a mission to reach the NBA Finals and they are one step away from that after destroying the Suns 125-100 in Game 6 to eliminate Phoenix, 4-2.

The Nuggets are returning to the Western Conference finals for the first time since losing the conference championship to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 Orlando bubble.

Denver will host either the Golden State Warriors or the Los Angeles Lakers starting next Tuesday.

Jokic returns to the next round on an absolute tear. He completed a phenomenal series with his third triple-double in four games, notching 32 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds while making 13-of-18 shots. The Suns simply had no answer for Jokic, who averaged a 30-point triple-double in the second round.

Jokic and the Nuggets have been focused all season long on winning the franchise's first-ever NBA title. They finished with the West's top seed, winning 53 games, and Jokic was a leading candidate in the MVP race once again.

But the Nuggets have also flown a bit under the radar. After trading for Kevin Durant, the Suns became a popular choice to come out of the Western Conference playoffs and were even a favorite entering their series against the Nuggets despite being the lower fourth seed.

And even as they await the winner of the Lakers-Warriors