Newly used role players like Jock Landale have put Denver on its heels entering a critical Game 5.

DENVER – Quietly, near the back of a near-empty locker room after Denver’s Game 4 loss Sunday to Phoenix in the Western Conference Semifinals, two players dressed slowly speaking in hushed tones.

“How are we gonna respond?” Jeff Green asked repeatedly, almost rhetorically to Aaron Gordon.

We’ll see soon enough when the Nuggets and Suns clash again in Game 5 of the West semis on Tuesday (10 ET, TNT) at Ball Arena with the series tied 2-2. After two consecutive losses to a surging Phoenix squad powered by classic performances from Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, a refreshed bench led by Landry Shamet and a speedier offense with Cameron Payne at the controls in place of Chris Paul, Denver finds itself reeling in adjustment mode after initially seizing an early 2-0 lead to start this series.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone called his team’s defense on Booker “unacceptable” after Game 3, only for the superstar Suns guard to torch Denver again with a 36-point gem in Game 4. Over his last two games, the league’s postseason scoring leader drilled 34 of his last 43 shots, earning recognition as the first player in NBA history to notch 30-plus point games on 75% or better shooting in back-to-back outings the playoffs.

Durant, meanwhile, provides the second piece of a pair of teammates averaging 30 points or more during the playoffs, a feat occurring for the first time since 1962 (Jerry West and Elgin Baylor).

The Game 4 emergence of Shamet only compounded matters for Denver’s defense — which was previously laser-focused on shutting down Booker and Durant — by providing Phoenix a No. 3 scorer. Shamet led all the reserves in Game 4 with 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting, pouring in 14 points in the fourth quarter alone despite not even playing a single minute in Game 2.

“We know what KD and Booker can do,” Malone said after Game 4. “You tip your cap, and you say Landry Shamet, he gave them a third scoring option tonight. It was a huge part of them winning this game.”

Throwing out unfamiliar combinations in rotations continues to help Phoenix too. The Suns currently look like a totally different team than what the world saw in Games 1 and 2. Paul suffered a groin injury in Game 2, which led to Payne entering the starting lineup. Payne in turn sped up Phoenix’s offense, helping the Suns outscore the Nuggets 43-21 in transition on 19-for-25 shooting over the last two games.

Phoenix coach Monty Williams also beefed up bench scoring by increasing the roles of Terrence Ross, T.J. Warren, and backup big Jock Landale.

“The two games in Denver, they did not play Ross,” said Denver center Nikola Jokic, who scored a franchise playoff-high 53 points in Game 4 to become the fifth player in history to produce a postseason performance with 50-plus points and 10-plus assists. “Shamet actually played Game 1, and then he didn’t play [in] Game 2. T.J. Warren wasn’t in the rotation. They have a little more talent to score the basketball from the bench. It is not just KD and Booker. Of course, with Chris Paul out, they are a hard team to beat. They were [the] No. 1 ranked offense in the playoffs. They are a really tough team to beat.”

Perhaps the most eye-opening turn in this series involves Phoenix’s bench kicking up its production a notch to worsen the damage inflicted on opponents by Booker and Durant. The Suns’ reserves outscored Denver’s backups 65-31 over the last two games, after the Nuggets won that battle 36-28 the first two contests to start the series.

“Guys on their team stepped up [in Game 4], made plays for them,” Gordon said. “We knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. We don’t want it easy. A new challenge has presented itself, and we’re gonna step up and answer that bell. We’ve been good on our home floor all season long. I’m confident we’ll regroup and do what we need to do. It’s not necessarily a must-win [game], but we’ve got to protect our home floor.”

Jokic should play a major role in that. The center was fined $25,000 for making improper contact with Phoenix governor Mat Ishbia in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss at Footprint Center. Interestingly, the Suns expressed relief Monday at practice that Jokic wasn’t suspended.

“I’m glad none of that could get in the way,” Durant said. “We [can] just focus on basketball. I knew it was going to be a story, but I’m glad we can move past it.”

Phoenix’s focus now rests on maintaining poise and execution in front of what’s expected to be a raucous crowd in the high altitude of Denver. Durant and Williams conceded that Phoenix likely won’t ever completely shut down Jokic.

The Suns just hope to slow the two-time MVP somewhat while limiting the impact of the Nuggets’ supporting cast around him.

Jamal Murray (28 points) combined with Jokic for 81 points in Game 4, while Durant and Booker came together for a combined 72 points.

Murray has averaged 30 points over his last two games on 26-of 54 shooting, after connecting in Game 1 on 54.2% from the floor, while racking up 34 points in a victory.

“They did what they were supposed to do,” Green said of the Suns. “They held home court. But now, it’s a three-game series. We got back home. We’ve got to take care of business, plain and simple. There’s no secrets behind it. It’s about pride. It’s about effort. If we need extra talk at this point in the season, something’s wrong. We know what just happened. We know what we’ve got to do. We know what we’re capable of when we play the right way.”

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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