PHOENIX — From the first possession, it was clear the Suns prioritized their defense on Michael Porter Jr. leading into Game 4.

Devin Booker tugged at MPJ’s jersey and said something to make the Nuggets’ forward chuckle to begin the Suns’ 129-124 win in Game 4 at Footprint Center. The series is tied 2-2.

MPJ had one of the best playoff performances of his young career in Game 3, scoring 21 points on 14 shots. He also had 12 rebounds and nearly completed a fourth-quarter comeback.

“He’s just a big dude with a high release point,” Suns coach Monty Williams said Sunday. “When he gets his feet set you’ve really got to be in his airspace to challenge those shots. You have to have big-time awareness with him on the floor.”

Porter was engaged in Game 4 — even if the Nuggets often seem to forget a 6-foot-10 scorer is on their team. MPJ almost had a double-double in the first half, eight points points and nine rebounds. He finished with 11 points and 10 boards and has earned a heightened role.

Nikola Jokic had 53 points, a career-high, but the Nuggets need more elsewhere.

“They’re forcing Nikola to score 50 sometimes,” Porter said.

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One price of success is losing coaches.

Nuggets assistant David Adelman, a staple on the staff for six seasons, will interview for the Toronto Raptors head coach position, Stadium reported. Adelman is the son of former NBA coach Rick Adelman and is considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the league.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone did not confirm or deny the report Sunday: “We’re getting ready to play the Phoenix Suns in Game 4.”

Adelman worked with the Timberwolves and Magic before joining the Nuggets staff in 2017.

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Malone made it sound like there could changes coming ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5 at Ball Arena.

Whether its personnel or strategy, the Nuggets coach said everything will be on the table after Phoenix put up 121 and 129 points, respectively, in Games 3 and 4.

“We’ve got to go back and look at what we’re doing, look at who we’re doing it with and figure out how we can be better come … next game,” Malone said.