By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
With the Denver Nuggets up 85 – 84 and nine minutes remaining in their crucial Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers, Nikola Jokic came back off the bench packing some serious heat.
Jokic immediately drained two straight 3-pointers to put the Nuggets up by seven for the first time in the game. After setting up Jamal Murray for a jumper, he hit a tough fadeaway with Paul George hanging over him. Denver was now holding a double-digit lead.
Some plays later, Jokic put the icing by burying his fourth triple in the match as the Nuggets came closer to their second win in a row to tie the series 3-3. It was the culmination of another outstanding performance by the Serbian big man who finished with game-highs 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in the most important match of his club career and with his team facing elimination.
He was by far the best man on the floor and establishing himself as the top player in the series by now. Naturally, some of his teammates absolutely lauded him in their post-game pressers.
“Tonight, Nikola Jokic was the best player in the world,” proclaimed Michael Porter Jr. Jamal Murray, Jokic’s partner in crime, fully agreed.
“I think he was too,” Murray said while praising the Joker’s new shooting spree and overall offensive arsenal. “He’s hitting one-leg step backs, fading away, off one leg, with a hand in his face, consecutive times. I’d say he’s the best player in the world. He’s unselfish, he’s passing the ball, he’s finding guys in crunch time. He’s stepping up making big shots. It was a team effort but Jokic definitely carried us throughout the game. We owe him a lot.”
Jokic’s production rates have gone through the roof and have propelled him towards some history-making stuff. Per Justin Kubatko, Jokic has accumulated 600 points, 300 rebounds and 150 assists in fewer playoff games than anyone else ever in the NBA.
“The Joker is doing all kinds of stuff. He’s just amazing,” Murray had previously mentioned.
The Nuggets further validated themselves as the most “die-hard” team in the NBA after their second consecutive comeback win against the Los Angeles Clippers. This time, their rally was even more impressive than Game 5 since they wiped out a 19-point deficit to force the Game 7.
“That is a tough resilient group of you know what,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. He went on to question why the Nuggets are continuously underestimated.
“We find it funny that the narrative is that the Nuggets are a cute team,” Malone commented “‘Oh what a good story’. We were second in the West last year. We were one possession away from going to the Western Conference Finals. Most of this year we were the no. 2 seed in the West.”
Photo: Getty Images