The Denver Nuggets seemed to be in control of Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, taking a 10-point lead early in the third quarter. The Suns then quickly turned the tables, using a 16-0 run to surge ahead and ultimately an extended 42-14 run to go up by 18 points with 8:36 to play. The Nuggets never threatened from there and trailed by as many as 19 before succumbing to a 122-105 defeat.

After the game, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon had two words to describe the performance:

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone also used the word “soft” to describe their game. Interestingly enough, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic didn't agree with the “soft” assessment, instead saying Denver needs to be more “decisive” moving forward.

However you want to describe it, the Nuggets were outclassed in Game 1 during that second half. They had no answers for a balanced Suns offense, which saw four starters score at least 20 points and the fifth, Jae Crowder, put up 14 and the dagger 3-pointer.

In a rare event, Jokic was outplayed by Suns center Deandre Ayton. The presumptive MVP had just 22 points on 10-of-23 shooting and had more turnovers than assists (4-3). Jokic didn't attempt a single free throw and went scoreless in the fourth quarter, while Ayton finished with 20 points (9-of-13 shooting) and 10 boards.

One has to assume Jokic will perform better moving forward, but it's going to take a team effort to beat this red-hot Phoenix team. The Suns are firing on all cylinders after beating the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and handling the Nuggets in Game 1 behind a raucous home crowd.

As for Gordon, he played pretty well in Game 1, going for 18 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists in 29 minutes. He finished a team-best plus-2 in the box score and shot 8-of-14 from the field. Perhaps we'll see a bit more Aaron Gordon as this series goes on and he can help change the mentality.