By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Boston Celtics being effective in defending Nikola Jokic sent the Denver Nuggets to their fourth loss in the last six showings. The Nuggets had won 12 out of the 14 previous games.
Jokic, 27, shot 8/23 from the field and 2/6 from beyond the arc in a 23-point effort to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block in 33 minutes opposite the Celtics. Struggling to score and create, as usual, led to defeat. His side is now tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the sixth place of the Western Conference table, the lowest seed securing a direct ticket to the Playoffs. The teams finishing seventh to tenth will instead compete in the Play-In Round for a postseason berth.
“We just need to do a better job,” said the Joker after the NBA Sundays contest summing up recent performances and looking into the bottom end of the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season, “It is a little bit of everything. Even in our wins, we were not where we were supposed to be.”
Ten games remain on the schedule for the team guided by Michael Malone, including seven in Ball Arena. The Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and Oklahoma City Thunder are set to visit Denver this week.
The reigning NBA MVP putting up MVP numbers translates to 26.1 points, 13.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per contest. He has made his way to 65 out of the first 72 games.
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