Bruce Brown is reaping the benefits of handing off the aux cord.

While the Nuggets sixth man typically warmed up to the musical stylings of Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Dustin Lynch and other country superstars in the regular season, he’s let Michael Porter Jr., who he shares the court with during his pregame shooting period, play his preferred hip hop in the last two playoff games.

“It’s just the way I feel coming in,” Brown said Wednesday at Ball Arena before the Nuggets’ flight to Phoenix for Friday’s Game 3. “If I need some energy, then I listen to hip hop, but if I already have too much energy, I’ll tone it down a little bit and listen to some country.”

That boost of energy has benefitted the Nuggets and helped Denver secure a pair of home wins to start the series. In Game 1, Brown led all reserves with 14 points and added three assists, three steals and a couple of rebounds. The Nuggets won the 25 minutes Brown played by 21 points in a 125-107 victory. In Monday’s Game 2, Brown outscored Phoenix’s reserves on his own, 9-4, while grabbing four rebounds and making one of the plays of the game.

With the Nuggets up five with three minutes to play, Suns forward Kevin Durant got the ball on the right wing. Durant, listed at 6-foot-10, sized up the 6-foot-4 Brown, a former teammate in Brooklyn, and attacked with a left-to-right crossover. A couple of dribbles later, Durant pulled up for his deadly mid-range jumper. Brown anticipated the play, leaving his feet before Durant and managed to block the shot. Aaron Gordon was stationed on the baseline ready to help and also contested the shot, though it wasn’t needed after Brown got a piece of the ball.

“I’m going to frame it and put it in my house. It’s like a work of art. (It’s) like a double contest,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “That’s championship defense right there.”

Brown credited his familiarity with Durant for some of his success defending Phoenix’s superstar. The Nets used Brown as a screener for Durant in pick-and-roll sets which provided some insight as to where Durant likes to be on the court and what shots he likes to take.

“That was my first time ever blocking his shot. I used to try really hard in practice to get it, and I never could,” Brown said. “So, it was pretty cool that I got that one.”

The pregame hip hop might’ve provided Brown with an extra boost, but he won’t have his choice of pregame music in Phoenix unless he packs his headphones. If the series returns to Denver for a fifth game, Brown thinks a more relaxed pregame playlist will be in order.

“The last two it was hip hop, but I think we might go back to country next home game,” Brown said.

Booth receives Executive of the Year votes

Calvin Booth wasted no time making a meaningful impact on the Nuggets roster in his first season leading Denver’s front office.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s buy in as a 3-and-D specialist was most evident when he hit a trio of crucial 3-pointers and made Suns star Devin Booker work for his points in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ win in Game 2. Bruce Brown has made sure the Nuggets have had the better bench, while first-round draft pick Christian Braun has provided stouter defense off the bench.

Booth’s reward for acquiring three difference makers via trade, free agency and the draft was six second-place votes and a pair of third-place votes for Executive of the Year, which is voted on by fellow executives. Booth tied with Utah’s Justin Zanik for third place with 20 points. Sacramento’s Monte McNair won the award with 98 points. Cleveland’s Koby Altman was second with 63 points.