PHOENIX – Breaking out the brooms hasn’t been something the Nuggets were used to doing lately. Saturday, they gladly dusted those brooms off.

How rare is it that the Nuggets have swept a four-game seasons series? This rare: Their 123-112 win over Phoenix on Saturday night was just the fifth four-game sweep of a Western Conference opponent in the last seven seasons. It was the first four-game sweep since the 2012-13 season, when they went 4-for-4 against the Rockets and the Kings. And it was the first sweep of the Suns since the 2011-12 season.

“It’s not easy to beat a team four times,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Taking nothing away from Phoenix, but our guys came in here and closed out the season series, which I give all of our players a lot of credit for.”

The Phoenix Suns have been the gift that keeps on giving to the Nuggets, who have won seven of their last nine games. The Nuggets averaged 122 points per game against the Suns this season.

“We know we can score the ball versus anybody,” guard Jameer Nelson said. “It’s just a matter of executing the game plan.”

It didn’t matter that that Nuggets were down two starters, one of whom – Nikola Jokic – is the team’s best player. It only mattered that at some point during the game they matched the Suns early intensity. The rest took care of itself.

Well, the rest took care of itself after the Nuggets had an early trial-and-error period. Jusuf Nurkic started in place of Jokic, and Nelson has been starting in place of injured Emmanuel Mudiay. The new mix was anything but smooth at the start. Related Articles January 28, 2017 Anatomy of a rising star: Unique skill set of Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic turning heads

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The Nuggets struggled to figure out who they were without Jokic, it had been so long since the second-year center hadn’t been on the court. That, and an energized Suns team, led to a big early deficit that grew to as many as 16 points and settled in at 14 before the Nuggets got things figured out.

Three things helped most. First, was going to a smaller lineup with Kenneth Faried — or sometimes Darrell Arthur — at center, which spaced the court out. Second was Danilo Gallinari. Even through the Nuggets’ early struggles he was hot, knocking down most every shot he took. Gallinari never cooled off on his way to a season-high 32 points. Third was a more aggressive mind-set. Jump shots were the norm in the first quarter. Slashing to the rim took over, and the dividends paid were immediate. The Nuggets had just four points in the paint in the first quarter. They had 22 in the second.

“We just went to our pick-and-roll game,” Nelson said. “Got them into foul trouble and got to the line a lot.”

And their persistent forays to the rim resulted in foul after foul being called on the Suns. In the third quarter, the Nuggets had nearly as many points from the free-throw line alone (18) as the Suns had total (22).

“They do a great job of just attacking the rim, attacking the paint, putting themselves in bonus situations,” Suns coach Earl Watson said.

BOXSCORE: Nuggets 123, Suns 112

From 37-23 with 10:26 left in the second quarter to 95-76 with 1:02 left in the third, the Nuggets outscored Phoenix 72-39. That 19-point lead held up the rest of the way. Five Nuggets scored in double figures. In addition to Gallo’s total, Kenneth Faried had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Jamal Murray had another big game with 18 points.

“I thought everybody contributed,” Gallinari said. “It was a very good effort.”